Welsh Autumn - what makes me happy

There’s no denying the cooler weather does bring with it the urge to wrap up warm and get outdoors for some fresh air. Cushioned with the smell of home cooked roast dinners, log fires and snuggly warm blankets waiting for your return. I’m always thinking of Wales.

Just mention Wales and you can’t help but imagine the green undulating hills and mountains, dotted with sheep and woven with rivers and streams. Undoubtedly Wales gets it’s more than generous share of rain but that is what makes it the UK’s equivalent land of rain forests. 

Renting short term for a mini-break is just the breath of fresh air needed in today’s fast paced life. It’s time to slow down and have more than a few calm moments. I always think that is why people have called fresh air medicine for centuries.

At school they are starting to teach our children about mindfulness and it couldn’t be more important. It feels like today there is a real absence of time to observe and appreciate nature. It has been proved that slowing down, surrounded by nature can enable you to assess how things are really going and it allows time to plan and think about future possibilities. We could all learn a lot and gain a lot from sitting patiently with an open mind every now and then.  

For me, time spent in Wales is the cure for all evils. I take time for myself, I run without music and listen to nature and my breathing, I walk for hours taking in the beautiful scenery, noticing birds, different plants, collecting shells to name a few of my favorite things.  It is easy to release those shoulders, let them fall from your ears, look at the big blue sky with it’s big fluffy clouds.  It catches my breath when I ponder the glacial mountains that poured themselves into the sea and when I listen to the endless sound of water, the rain, the flowing streams or the crashing of waves of Wales it hushes my soul, it’s my medicine and it’s where I think of when I close my eyes.