Mindful Monday: "Our Connection with our Environment"

How the changing colours through the seasons of the year reflect on the importance on harmony and balance in life. 

This blog is inspired by an afternoon drive I took and my eyes caught the ever-changing colours of the countryside landscape.  It made me reflect on the idea that everything has significance in life.  The more I thought about it, I developed a dialogue to myself – “Everything in nature is designed to work in harmony, and there is a delicate balance”.

For our Autumn Winter collection, Jardin d’hiver, we consciously selected a colour pallet that resonates a very quintessential British Autumn.  It features rich hues and warm tones, as if its nature’s last chance to create a finale, displaying some drama before hibernating.  Muted greens, earthy browns and rustic reds.  Reflecting the changing leaves and the picturesque landscapes of the British countryside.

A Delicate Balance

In a world where it’s advocated about putting yourself first - the "me, myself and I" - can often push the narrative to feeling selfish. Humans are part of nature.  When we look at nature, I believe we don’t see things ‘alone’. There is always a connection to another living entity, which helps to keep things healthy, flourished and in harmony. 

Take a tree for example.  Even the tree that stands solo in the middle of an idle space, is not alone. Its roots are strong in the earth.  The extreme changes in the seasons and the atmosphere enables the tree to strengthen its roots and become resilient to different scenarios.  The tree provides shelter, produces life, heals, adapts and compromises. The tree is a part of and connected with nature. Most importantly, to flourish, it works harmoniously with its environment.

If there is no connection with the environment and nature, the tree will lose its nutrients and ability to function and grow, become weak, and then eventually die. 

Humans are like trees. Circumstances in life are like the changing seasons in the environment.  We are all delicately connected to our environment, which includes naturally for us our families and loved ones.  We need to learn to train ourselves to balance and keep the harmony.  In doing so, we flourish. Of course, the balance includes periods of isolation as well as interaction and engagement. 

In the modern world, the narrative is not only more towards detachment, but also a significant practice of hibernation. A hibernation that’s prolonged and away from the natural environment and into one’s own world, with a wall around it because it promotes the idea of wellbeing.  I am pondering over if this modern interpretation of wellbeing is really “well” for us?  Do we enter a space where we are so disconnected from what is natural to us, that we are no longer balanced?   

These are my own independent reflections, and I would welcome a dialogue to promote wellness and balance (just like our friends in the image below 🐑 ).  To be continued...