Whenever I feel encumbered with too many “things” and am looking for something to brighten my mood, I hit the trails! I’m lucky that it’s sweet and effortless, as some of South Florida’s best hiking is right in front of me. The most interesting trail has to be the enchanting mangrove forest at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. It humbles me with its understated magnificence and exquisite beauty.
The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center sits on twenty acres of a protected barrier island between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. I’m there to get in my three miles, and it feels like I need nothing else. It engulfs me.
The wetlands of South Florida are broadly defined as mangrove forests, mudflats, coral reefs, shallow coastal waters and estuaries.
Mangrove forests buffer the coastline against wave-induced erosion and provide our coastal communities a vital line of defense against strong, tropical storms. Mangrove forests also provide important nursery habitat for many species of fish, which later move to coral reefs and other ecosystems as they mature.
I’ve learned over time that I find strength in an atmosphere of quiet, spaciousness and calmness.
I want to bring the naturalness inside and for my home to be open and calm too—like how I feel when I’m outdoors on a trail, the beach or a mountain. When I come home and see too many things I don’t use or need, I’ll donate or get rid of them. Let the sunshine in!
Happiness makes the world go round. And living a simplified, uncluttered life with less stuff means I have more time and energy for the people and things that bring me JOY. There’s less to clean and organize, less debt, and therefore, less stress.
It’s a mutualistic approach to living as minimalistic as possible. Where you benefit from your surroundings and the environment benefits from your respect of it. A symbiosis of space and light. I am dependent on them.
Simplicity is subjective and everyone is different. Some people want everything. Some want nothing. Others are right in the middle.
You can spend a lifetime chasing things you think will make you happier, but open your eyes to the beautiful, natural world around you.
It’s become second nature for us to think that all we have to do is get the latest gadget to make our lives easier, or hop on a plane for our next adventure. But chances are it’s right at our own front door. Kind of like a lot of life’s gems.