Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott up on Dartmoor.
It's quite,
I'd say,
Misty.
I mean the mist is not all around me but the tops of the hills are covered in mist and I can't see too far.
It feels as though this is a very silent,
Muffled landscape.
It might be a little bit busier than usual with dog walkers and walkers because we're still very much in the Christmas festive period and many people are off and they love to get out walking and I don't blame them,
Me too.
And today as I'm up here on Dartmoor,
As you know I've been reflecting on the things I want to take forward over the last few days,
Things I want to take forward into 2026,
Things like choosing love and slowing down,
Things that feel as though they resonate for me and I want to just finish this series off before we reach the new year itself and today is just a reflection on relishing simplicity.
And what I mean by that,
Well it could be summed up beautifully,
I went to visit my uncle yesterday and in the midst of meeting my uncle,
My aunt,
My cousin,
My brothers and sisters were there,
My mum went along,
It was her brother.
In the midst of that there was a lot of warmth and conversation,
Mince pies,
Getting rid of those mince pies and cups of tea and just a very lovely connection but it was made even more poignant because my dear uncle has been given a very serious health prognosis which is an aggressive form of cancer and he's really looking now towards the end of his life and just wondering what those last few months are going to be like for him.
And for me as I was with him,
With the family,
I felt this extraordinary sense of love,
Connection,
A sense that this is what it's all about really,
Really relishing and cherishing these moments with the people that I love and are close to me.
And of course when you've got something like a very serious health diagnosis in the mix then for me it just brings in to sharp focus the extraordinary nature of life,
The exquisite nature of life and I feel a real pang and a sense of not letting it disappear,
Not wasting it and I don't mean for me that I want to go on lots of journeys to different parts of the world and see landmarks and tick things off a bucket list,
I don't mean that at all.
For me it means tuning into that which is really important and giving time and space to people,
To places,
To experiences that matter and mean something that we share as memories.
So that for me is one of the things I am so wanting to take forward into 2026 is to continue this exploration that I have been exploring already which is not about chasing money,
Chasing business,
It's about slowing down and really seeing where am I drawn,
What feels important,
How can I make this a sacred moment in my life and it's moments like that yesterday when I'm with people I love dearly that feel like sacred moments but I go yes this is what it's all about.
So for me as the year draws to a close that feels like a really special message to remind myself of as well as choosing love,
As well as slowing down is to spend time with people,
Have experiences with people,
Have experiences that are nourishing my soul that I am drawn and called to engage with and just recognizing the difference between that deep inner calling and that rush of adrenaline that comes often with thinking and thought of I should do this,
I ought to do that,
I don't want to live life like that.
So for me as I come to the end of the new year I feel as though I've got some very precious gems that I'm taking forward with me and I'm really looking forward to it,
To see how I get on exploring these further in the new year and I'm kind of curious about what you're seeing for yourself,
What else are you looking to explore in the new year for yourself,
What is important for you and maybe what are the things that you want to say no to,
What are the things you want to drop from what you've been doing recently and drop them and then engage with something that feels more nourishing.
I'd love to know your thoughts and I'm really looking forward to connecting again with you in 2026.
