Monday, June 02, 2008

"nature-study, the elixir of youth"

As the song goes "June is bustin' out all over, All over the meadow and the hill!"
There's so much nature happening that our favorite guides are close at hand in the sunroom. I especially love Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study -- here's what I came across today:

"Nature Study, The Elixir of Youth

...After all, what is the chief sign of growing old? Is it not the feeling that we know all there is to be known? It is not years which make people old; it is ruts, and a limitation of interests. When we no longer care about anything except our own interests, we are then old, it matters not whether our years be twenty or eighty. It is rejuvenation for the teacher, thus growing old, to stand ignorant as a child in the presence of one of the simplest of nature's miracles--the formation of a crystal, the evolution of the butterfly from the caterpillar, the exquisite adjustment of the silken lines in the spider's orb web. I know how to 'make magic' for the teacher who is growing old. Let her go out with her youngest pupil and reverently watch with him the miracle of the blossoming violet and say: 'Dear Nature, I know naught of the wonderous life of these, your smallest creatures. Teach me!' and she will suddenly find herself young." [page 4]


7 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:15 PM

    Many a time I have gazed in wonder at a spider web. So beautiful and delicate. If we don't keep on learning about the world around us we may as well shut ourselves up. Thank you for the reminder.

    God bless.

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  2. Beautiful is all I can say. I wake-up every morning excitedly anticipating what wonderful things await me. I am never disappointed.

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  3. Such a beautiful quote, and so very true.

    Thanks so much for the well wishes Deb :)

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  4. That is SO true! I love learning new things and observing nature. My daughter and I are reading a kid's nature guide a page at a time before bed. It's so much fun, and it has projects we can do together this summer too.

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  5. "Nature Study, the elixir of youth" to which I say "AMEN!"

    Those are some of my favorite-est books of all.

    Jody

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  6. This book sounds lovely! Can you comment on the other two I see lurking in your photo? Thank you!

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  7. Shouldn’t everyone own a copy of Handbook of Nature Study !!!! Clarice

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Thank you for taking time to leave a comment--I love reading each and every one! I will try to answer any questions you have in the comment section. Due to the amount of spam, I am sadly no longer able to accept Anonymous comments....Kindly, Deb

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