This morning I discovered my new happy place, better to say calming place.

[Ocelot II]

In Japan there's a thing called shinrin yoku, which is catching on here - it literally means "forest bathing." Being out in nature has been shown to have beneficial physiological as well as psychological effects. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19568835/ Within walking distance of my home - about a mile - there is a city park that includes a large bird sanctuary, an area that's been left undeveloped since the '30s. I hadn't been through it for years, but today I was walking along the lake that's next to the park and decided to go into the bird sanctuary. It's amazing. You go down the path and in a few minutes you can't see any evidence that you're in the middle of a metro area of over 3 million people, and you can barely even hear any traffic noise - just silence and birds (though the birds aren't busy this time of year; I saw only a flicker and an oriole), and very few people (I saw three). It was amazingly relaxing. I think it will be a regular part of my new walking route, and I will go bathe in the forest. I'm so glad that people had the foresight and understanding to value this place and maintain it forever.

[3catwoman3]

1. It looks very serene.

How delightful that you found it.

[wyn borkins]

2. Peaceful and Placid, even Tranquil

Thank you most-kindly for sharing

[cilla4progress]

3. Wonderful!

I'm a forest.bather, too.

[Pinback]

4. Wonderful, especially if the soundscape is healthy.

I have access to a couple of spots like this (more or less). The modern world is pretty noisy thanks to internal combustion engines, power tools, and other human racket.

But when you can really slow down and hear running water, the wind in the trees, and birds, it’s like a dose of strong medicine straight to the heart.

[elleng]

5. Nice, Ocelot II!

Mine is the river outside of my front door.

[nocoincidences]

6. My serene place is walking in the rain in Seoul.

[highplainsdem]

7. How lovely! I've heard of forest-bathing, too, and I can see why

it would have health benefits.

For years I was especially fond of a spot about half a mile from my home, along a bike trail that gets within a block of home. The trail dips there, and the steep banks on either side are overgrown with bushes, and the trees on top of those banks have their branches crossing overhead, so it's a leafy tunnel much of the year, and fallen leaves cover the path in autumn. There's concrete, since the trail is paved, but otherwise there's no sign this is in a city. Often I wouldn't see anyone for blocks along the trail, and in that area it doesn't cross any streets for half a mile. It was especially nice when there were a lot of birds singing in the branches overhead. Reminded me of being on my grandfather's farm, which had rolling hills and small wooded areas and a couple of streams, so some areas felt perfectly secluded and wild, away from the farmhouse.

I stopped spending much time on that section of the trail, though, after hearing about some petty crime there, muggings/robberies and a guy exposing himself, someone who wasn't caught. That's one disadvantage to secluded areas in a city.

[Sky Jewels]

8. I do that too.

I’ve lived in several very different parts of the country, but the big trees and shade canopy are two reasons the Pacific NW feels like home to me.