As we come to the completion of this year it is a time of reflection, a time of intention, and also a welcomed time of celebration. Although this year was very different, and this holiday season will also be unique for many of us, we have the opportunity to embrace the end of this cycle, another year of life, of tradition, and of self-exploration of our own True Nature. As we complete this cycle we also have the opportunity to look on the horizon, a fresh pallet ahead, filled with opportunities.

Where do you want to go in 2021? Who would you like to become? What parts of your life are most important? I invite you to pause this holiday season, to slow down, and to contemplate the gift of this life, the cycles, and your own True Nature.

Peace to you in this Holiday Season,
Joshua and the True Nature Team

Every November, our culture finds a sudden appreciation for gratitude. We start to hear “what are you thankful for?” on every corner as people shop for turkey and prepare their Thanksgiving feasts. While I love this holiday, and the reminder to be grateful it brings, I believe gratitude is something we should focus on more than just once a season.

It is part of my practice to focus on gratitude on a daily basis. Before sleeping each night, I try to
remember one thing I am grateful for. Somedays, it’s harder than others. Just the other day I had a rough, long work day. I came home feeling exhausted and angry. I didn’t want to be grateful. I wanted to cry and sleep and ignore the world around me. But my practice has taught me that I can cry, sleep, be angry, and still find a way to be grateful. Because there is always something to be grateful for. Are you struggling to find gratitude in your life? Here is a list of questions and activities that allow my to instill more gratitude in my days. I hope it will do the same for you!

1. What is one thing that made you smile today?
2. How does your body serve you on a daily basis?
3. Name three people who love you. What do they love about you?
4. Take a walk around your neighborhood. List all the beautiful things you see, small or large.
5. Breathe in. Breathe out. What does your breath allow you to do?
6. Find three things in your house you use every day. How do they help you?
7. Write down the name of one person that makes your life better. Now list all the ways they do so. This can be a family member, a friend, a pet, a colleague… everyone counts!
8. Look around. What do your eyes allow you to see?
9. Find something that smells nice (essential oils, vanilla extract, a vase of flowers…whatever appeals to you!) and take a big, deep inhale of the scent. Now write down some of your favorite smells. What memories do those scents bring to mind?
10. Listen. Sit for five minutes and write down everything you hear. How do your ears make life easier? What are some of your favorite sounds?
11. What is your favorite food? Treat yourself to this tonight. But take your time. Take small bites and really savor the taste. Write down some things you notice as you taste. What makes this meal so delicious? Why is it your favorite?
12. Collect three things from around your home that have different textures. Sit with each one. Rub them between your fingers and write down everything you observe about the different textures. As you walk around today, pay extra close attention to the texture of everything you touch.
13. Find a place in nature (local parks work too!) and take a seat. Look at clouds and the sun. Smell the trees. Dig your fingers into the dirt. Listen to the birds in the trees. Write down all the ways nature serves you.

About the Author

Sarah Dittmore, the Director of Operations at True Nature Travels, is always seeking a new adventure. When she’s not barefoot hiking in the mountains of Peru, kayaking around an island off the coast of Italy, or camping in a rainforest in Costa Rica, Sarah writes about her adventures on her travel blog, Autobiography of an Adventurer. Join her as she travels the world and documents the wild and wonderful things she discovers along the way at www.autobiographyofanadventurer.com.

Fall is here and Autumn foliage is upon us! In the coming weeks, millions of leaves will be turning an array of different colors. As leaves stop producing chlorophyll, the deeper green leaves start to change and reveal their true colors– a process called senescence. Autumn is a reminder that change is in the air and is a great excuse to embrace these transitions and learn about the trees that grow around us.

Fall is the perfect excuse to get lost, so put on your boots and layer up- it’s time to crunch in the leaves and feel the cool air on your skin! One of the perks of hiking in the fall is that there are less crowds and less traveled trails. It’s also the perfect opportunity to collect leaf specimens to bring home, press, and identify. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about pressing leaves for your own collection and tips that will help you to identify them.

1. Start a field journal. Use a small notebook to help you take notes about when and where you find a leaf, and any other observations that might help with identification. Your notebook can also be a vessel to hold each leaf in place and keep its shape. 
2. Choose leaves when they are young and have recently fallen from its tree. If you wait till a leaf is too mature and dry, it may be more prone to fading. Take a good look at each leaf and make sure there is no evidence of insects that may have feasted on it.

3. Enjoy picking leaves that you find beautiful! With so many leaves out there, choose as freely as you wish. This is the best part!

4. To prep for pressing, lay leaves separately on newspaper. Take a dry paintbrush and lightly clean the leaf, blotting off any moisture and sweeping any loose soil.

5. Once they are completely dry, arrange leaves in layers of tissue paper, wax paper or newspaper before pressing. Be sure to tag each leaf with a scrap of paper next to it with brief notes for identifying.

6. If you have a plant press, lay each leaf in a layer of the cardboard and gently screw the wood in place.

7. For those that don’t have a plant press, gather two sheets of cardboard (size can be dependent on leaf haul) or two spare ceramic tiles covered in newspaper. Layer leaves between and use rubber bands or straps to secure together. You can also use an old heavy book as a press. Make sure that you don’t mind it getting a bit wrinkled or stained; the moisture from the leaves could damage the pages slightly. Thicker books are best, but any book will do as long as you add weight on top of it. Weight can be distributed in the form of a pile of books; these will not get damaged so it’s okay to use books you want to keep.
   

8. Check the leaves every two or three days, and replace damp papers with dry ones. It will take 2-4 weeks before the leaves are dry.

9. After your leaves dry, use your imagination! Create a leaf identification journal and identify your findings or create some art by placing the leaves in frames. Decorate for fall or place your leaves in a memory box to share throughout the rest of the seasons. You can visit https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/ to help you identify your collection.

About the Author:

Charlotte Gottenkieny, Director of Marketing & Digital Media at True Nature Education, lives to create and travel. With an extensive background in art and design, she is always submersed in a project or three. Whether it is making sculpture, taking photos, formulating a new recipe, or running her design agency, she is always using her hands to create in some way. Charlotte loves the adrenaline rush of adventure. From scuba diving to trekking in high altitudes, she strives to discover new landscapes at every opportunity. Working with True Nature gives her inspiration to be able to share stories and connections made through seeing the world.

LABOR DAY.

What meaning do you find in those two words? For myself, I must admit
that the meaning seems to be lacking. Yet I have always enjoyed this
particular holiday, as it is one of the few that remains noncontroversial,
without any associated traditions or religious origins and connotations. It is
truly a unifying holiday, as every adult understands what it is to labor and
enjoy his or her prized days off. Rather than honoring something or
someone else, Labor Day celebrates you and all of your hard work for the
entire year. The holiday was literally founded on the need to have a “you”
day!

As I am sure many of you can relate, I cannot name a single tradition that I
hold for this day. I have memories of enjoying barbecue and sunshine, but
nothing that I would consider an annual tradition. So this year, I encourage
you to create meaning, to discover your own traditions that celebrate you,
and only you.

Whether you are with friends, family or on your own, soak up all that is you
this Labor Day. Although we should strive to cherish the self every day of
the year, on this one particular day let us make it a priority to bask in our
own uniqueness. Give thanks for our strengths and abilities, and even our
flaws, because together these attributes form us. Take these 24 hours to
unplug and appreciate your existence on this beautiful planet. Get out of
the office, away from your computer and social media, and do something
that makes you deeply happy.

Labor Day is quite simply, your day. Make it an annual celebration of
everything that is YOU.

Create unforgettable moments… Today is Mother’s Day in Costa Rica. This is a very special day in Costa Rica. I am writing this piece of my feelings while the older bus driver goes slow and most of the people get anxious.