I love my neighborhood. It is so full of life—eclectic, eccentric, seedy, edgy, quirky, resilient, creative, beautiful life. Until two years ago, I would have said that all this abundance was predominantly of the human variety. Now, of course, I know differently, as I am greeted by display after stunning display of the bounty that […]
Animals are living secret lives all around us all the time. As we become more aware of nature, we can become connected to them as fascinating beings we share the world with. Though it may seem obvious, these animals are individuals with their own temperaments, territories, styles, and sometimes families. To some extent, we can […]
It was my day of rest yesterday. I spoke to family and friends, went fishing at the lake, read a few pages of Bernd Heinrich’s “Mind of the Raven”, cleaned my boots, and closed my eyes at my Sit Spot. But that was only the beginning. Behind me, the sun was nearing due west, still […]
Picture an owl perched on a tree branch 25ft above the ground. Sitting motionless with its owl eyes in a fixed gaze. The form we are gaining from the owl is that of wide peripheral vision. Stillness yields motion for the owl. When the owl holds perfect stillness, all motion is very evident. Any bird […]
If you are like me, sitting still can be a real challenge. At this time of year everything in nature is bursting with energy, changing and moving about. So much so, that many creatures aren’t even paying much attention to others as they go about their mating ritual, territorial fight or nesting duties. What opportunities […]
The topic that I receive the most questions about is the Sit Spot. It makes sense because it is a new concept to most people. I’ve compiled some of these questions and answered them below: My sit spot doesn’t have _______ (insert noun or adjective). Can I still use it? There are only two things […]
Two years ago in the late summer, I started seeing bear scat along a field edge on the way to my sit spot. An inch and a half tube full of raspberry seeds is hard to miss or misidentify here in northern Vermont. Then a bit later the chokecherry bushes in the south end of […]
Sitting in the cold: Why would you want to do it and how you can make it work… If I were to suggest to most people that it’s a great idea to go outside even in the thick of winter and sit on the cold wet ground for half an hour… they might think I’m […]
I was in Dresden, a city in the southeast of Germany which has a population of half a million people. My wife had a meeting in the middle of the city and I was supposed to wait for a couple of hours. I sat on a bench and looked out at a busy place, where […]
Going to your sit spot is one of the core routines that we teach at Wilderness Awareness School. It’s a simple, powerful experience that enables you to be more present and connected in your day-to-day life. It can be really fun to have permission to simply sit, observe, and be present. It doesn’t take much […]