WEBVTT - Enjoy nearby nature

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 2>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 2>tip is to enjoy some nearby nature. You don't have

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<v Speaker 2>to go to Acadia or Yosemite or the Great Barrier

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<v Speaker 2>Reef to take in the natural world. You can experience

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<v Speaker 2>wonder and beauty in your own backyard, and committing to

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<v Speaker 2>do so in practical ways over the next year can

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<v Speaker 2>make the next year far more enjoyable. So we often

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<v Speaker 2>hear about the great outdoors, but the term nearby nature

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<v Speaker 2>was a new one to me. I heard this phrase recently,

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<v Speaker 2>and I quite like it. Nearby nature refers to the

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<v Speaker 2>natural landscape that is easily accessible to a person. It

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<v Speaker 2>could be your backyard, or a neighborhood park, or the

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<v Speaker 2>grounds of a local school, church, or civic building. Some

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<v Speaker 2>lucky folks might have a nearby nature preserve, but it

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<v Speaker 2>could even be a window box or display of potted

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<v Speaker 2>plants on your apartment balcony. We might travel every few

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<v Speaker 2>months to somewhere particularly beautiful, but nearby nature can and

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<v Speaker 2>should be experienced every day. If you are looking to

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<v Speaker 2>connect more with nature in the new year, Connecting with

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<v Speaker 2>nearby nature is quite obviously going to be the easiest

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<v Speaker 2>way to do that, and there are a few practical

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<v Speaker 2>steps you can take. First, you might map out what

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<v Speaker 2>nature is near your home or office, walk around and

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<v Speaker 2>really look. Maybe the atrium of the office building next

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<v Speaker 2>to yours has a display of tropical plants. Maybe there

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<v Speaker 2>is a small thicket of interesting trees on an empty

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<v Speaker 2>lot the next block over. Maybe there is a meadow

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<v Speaker 2>of native plants growing near the grocery store parking lot.

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<v Speaker 2>Explore with an eye toward discovery, and you will probably

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<v Speaker 2>find spots you didn't know about. Choose a few of

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<v Speaker 2>these spots and commit to going there regularly. I aim

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<v Speaker 2>to walk through the woods by my house more days

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<v Speaker 2>than not. If there is a pond by your office park,

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<v Speaker 2>you might walk around it as a mid afternoon break.

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<v Speaker 2>As you do, make observations.

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<v Speaker 1>What sort of wildlife do you see? Yes, the squirrels

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<v Speaker 1>in geese count What shapes are the leaves? How does

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<v Speaker 1>this nearby nature change with the seasons and the hours

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<v Speaker 1>of the day. If you have some control over your

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<v Speaker 1>nearby nature, it's in your own yard. You can figure

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<v Speaker 1>out little ways to make this nearby nature more interesting.

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<v Speaker 1>To observe. You could put a bird feeder on your

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<v Speaker 1>porch or plant pansies outside the kitchen window. When conditions

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<v Speaker 1>are right, you could plant some columbines or day lilies

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<v Speaker 1>or other flowers that hummingbirds might enjoy. Most likely, no

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<v Speaker 1>one will object if you pick up trash in a

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<v Speaker 1>neighborhood park to make it more attractive. Or maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>have a connection to whoever runs the nearby nature. You

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<v Speaker 1>can talk with the grounds committee at your church or

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<v Speaker 1>at the neighborhood school about how they manage the place

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<v Speaker 1>and how you can volunteer to help. As you commit

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<v Speaker 1>to visiting this nearby nature, you might also decide to

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<v Speaker 1>become more knowledgeable about it. Those trees outside your office

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<v Speaker 1>window have a name?

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<v Speaker 2>What is it?

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<v Speaker 1>Find out what those wild flowers are that loom every

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<v Speaker 1>fall in the parking lot next to your post office.

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<v Speaker 1>The Eye Naturalist or Seek apps can help with identifying species.

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<v Speaker 1>You might also try to figure out what birds are

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<v Speaker 1>calling from the trees in your backyard. You can download

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<v Speaker 1>the merlin id app, which is like Shazam for bird songs,

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<v Speaker 1>and learn the names of these species. Knowing something's name

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<v Speaker 1>helps it become a friend regardless The key is to

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<v Speaker 1>just keep going. There is plenty of evidence that time

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<v Speaker 1>in nature is associated with better moods and more energy,

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<v Speaker 1>but there is no rule that nature has to mean

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<v Speaker 1>somewhere exotic. Taking a moment to appreciate that beautiful oak

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<v Speaker 1>tree on the edge of the office parking lot can

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<v Speaker 1>be meaningful too. Nearby nature offers opportunities for every day all.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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