The question I have is when I am walking along the beach shore or near large trees, why do I have a general sense of well being?   Triggered by an extraordinary sight of a majestic mountain, a splashing dolphin or a simple ordinary moment of hearing a nearby bird song, we feel a deep sense of calm. There is abundant natural beauty in this part of the world.  Walking tours, especially small group tours, provides pockets of experiences of pleasure. This is one of the best things to do in Santa Monica. It is one of the best things to do in LA.

So much life going on outside, might that help us to be distracted and let go of our stress and worry?  Maybe it is an increase probability of a spontaneous moment of exquisiteness that gives an outdoor experience vibrancy. Is it the beauty of the implied vastness, or the harmonious rhythm of Nature that soothes and connects us to the larger whole? There is no alternative motive behind the way the tree catches the light of the sunset, the breeze makes the tiny flowers dance this way and that. Perhaps our everyday bombardment of manufactured visual experience, with its barrage of technology, facts and consumerism exhausts  us on unperceived levels. The Japanese call the act of strolling through large trees, “forest bathing.” The trees have been found to emit phythoncides that are absorbed through our skin to uplift our mood. This helps to decrease our inner stress. Have you found yourself walking pass a nearby tree and a memory of a moment in your past floods in? Was it the smell of the pine sap or the texture of the trunk of the tree? Have you ever noticed yourself, while looking at the sea, emerge effortlessly into the immensity of the scene, the endless sounds of waves becoming clearer? Next time you find yourself dragging around, thoughts in a stir, venture out, let your curiosity wander, inhale the great outdoors and the gift of wonder that Nature offers.