I wrote about the practice of mindfulness ie. ‘the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally’ and its benefits in March 2021 but wanted to again urge you to practise it with your children and a walk in the woods/outside on a rainy day is just the time and place to do so. When you’re on your daily walk encourage your children to pause, look, listen and breathe for as little as 10 minutes. Draw their attention to the rain drops sitting on the bare twigs of the trees and the sound that the rain makes as it patters onto the ground or watch and listen as it falls on the village pond or forms puddles. Can your children smell that it’s a wet day/describe the smell?

I find it takes more determination to manage a walk outside on a rainy day than it does on a sunny one but the benefits after are equal and you really do experience them on your return. I find that I have to have a walk firmly scheduled into my day and have to tell myself that bad weather cannot be used as an excuse not to go! As Mrs Jesse would certainly say ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, simply inappropriate clothing’. It is definitely the rallying of the children and the getting ready and out which is the hardest bit!

The short video attached demonstrates for me how much experiencing something of the outside and of nature can bring so much joy at a time when joy is so much harder to find and experience. It was a cold, wet January day so a walk to the beach, approaching sunset, didn’t seem to be the most attractive proposition but in the end it proved to be such an uplifting experience and even well worth the brisk, cold walk home. The sight of the starlings murmurating was so therapeutic with the sound of the waves and cries of the seagulls hugely adding to the experience. Mindful indeed!