Here’s a challenge: find a leaf and look at it carefully. Now try to describe it in words: its shape, its texture, its shade of green. Good. Now find another one. Even if it’s on the same tree, you’ll find it has a slightly different shape, a slightly different shade of green. Once you realise that, you are ready to embrace the incredible multiplicity of the natural world around us. Few things restore us as quickly as immersing ourselves in nature.
Whether it is a hike through dappled bush, a barefoot stroll along the beach or just a picnic beneath the sheltering canopy of an ancient tree, the sights and sounds and smells of nature anchor us in a way that no other experience does.