Cultivating an Ageless Mind with Nature
Conversations with Phil Youngblood: Part II
Welcome to “Voices from the Field,” conversations with contributors who share their interests and expertise with us. I’m Lynne Berrett, co-founder with my husband Josh of Ageless Mind Project, a non-profit. Please click the link below to listen to my introduction, and to hear today's contributor(s) speaking briefly about their chosen subject.
“There's so much to learn from nature. I find it immensely satisfying that we don't know everything.” - Phil Youngblood
To read Part I of this series visit: https://agelessmindproject.substack.com/p/a-life-shaped-by-nature
Once Phil and his wife got back from their post-retirement travels, they joined the Texas Master Naturalist Program run by the state of Texas’s parks and wildlife department. Phil describes the program as “...a little bit of a high-falutin' name for becoming certified in ecosystems.” Members of the program - who are all volunteers - provide education, outreach, and services that help manage natural resources and nature areas within Texas. “The big idea is that we help educate the public and encourage them to perform volunteer work in an educated manner,” Phil says. “So if I go over to, say, a state park - or even a national park - and say, ‘Hi, I'm a Texas Master Naturalist, I don't have to explain everything. That's basically it.”
Most of the people in the Texas Master Naturalist program are retired individuals, but the group does attract a fair number of couples and younger people as well, making it both eclectic and inter-generational. The thing that really makes working in the program meaningful for Phil is the many opportunities it gives him to build and maintain an ageless mind for himself and others. “Stepping outdoors or watching something natural gets you out of your head and into a different world,” he says. “I know that reading can do that, maybe even a good TV show. But getting out into nature is more active and interactive. You're making up the story, not being a silent observer of somebody else's story.”
Something else that appeals to Phil about spending time in nature is that it can be experienced almost anywhere. “You don't have to be in some ideal situation,” he says. “I mean, it'd be nice if you were Henry David Thoreau, and you could go out in the forest to your own little cabin and lake.” he adds. “Or if you were John Muir and Yosemite was right there.” But Phil is the first to admit that idyllic natural surroundings are not readily available to everyone.”If you live in the deepest part of a city and you don't have access to forests and lakes and national parks, you can still find nature if you're observant.” By observant, Phil means changing how and what you are consciously looking for in the world around you. “If you look down, there might be grass, or a dandelion growing through the cracks in the sidewalk, or ants following food crumbs or birds perched on a sign, or even cockroaches,” he says. “I guess what I'm saying is that you can be curious, alert, aware, and observant, no matter where you are - no matter what you're doing - and that curiosity can become a positive part of your life.”
Another interesting aspect of working closely with others on behalf of the natural world is how that work builds community and fosters collaboration. “Since my wife and I got trained in the Texas Master Naturalist Program we almost never talk to others about politics or religion. Almost everybody can get behind clean water and the preservation of the environment, whether it's for business, recreation, or for our grand kids.”
Phil is also a member of a group called, “The Texas Hill Country Astronomers,” which has had a similarly positive effect on his mental, emotional, and physical well-being. “When I happen to be somewhere other than the city, particularly out in the country where there are dark skies, and I look up and see all of the lights up there, I realize how long they have been there and it makes me feel kind of tiny,” Phil says. “It also opens up a grand world, and that's part of my life now, too.”
An Ageless Mind is Curious, Playful, and Ever-growing
When thinking about how working in and with nature can help cultivate and maintain an ageless mind, Phil likes to talk about connection and the importance of being in nature at any age. “I think we all need to feel connected to something. When I was young, it was easier for me to connect to nature rather than the human world. Later, once I learned a little bit more about people and how to work with them, I found that having a mutual interest and respect for nature was a good way to connect with humans as well.”
Phil dreams of making nature part of everyone’s life so they can feel part of something larger than themselves. ”The outside world is alive, and it engages your senses. The sights and sounds and smells - the feel of the breeze and the textures - all that stuff helps you feel connected,” he says. “As adults, we try to bring nature indoors. For example, some people have Earth colors and wooden furniture in their homes. But all that is a pale imitation of what's outside. I mean, there are so many shades of green, so many shades of blue, and tiny little hints of color here and there - almost like little presences waiting for you to notice them.”
For anyone working on cultivating an ageless mind through nature, Phil recommends closing your eyes to filter out distracting sights, sounds, and smells and allowing yourself to just be. “I'm not too keen on the idea of mindfulness,” Phil says, “but I certainly understand being in the present moment. Nature is full of big things like stately trees and the warmth of the sun on your face. But there are small things too like colonies of ants scurrying about everywhere,doing whatever needs to be done. Listen for the birds, insects, and the creaking of branches,” he says. “Use all your senses and allow yourself to feel alive. That is the gift of the natural world.”
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Phil will return in Part III with some practical suggestions for how to engage with nature as well as links to programs and organizations that can help pique your interest in nature. Stay tuned!
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Most of all, we are eager to hear from you in the comments section below. What are you interested in exploring with us? What concerns you? What kind of ageless mind do you want to design?