Dear Ms. Spiritual Matters,
I look outside my office window and new blooms of tulips surround the fountain in the building’s plaza. The tulips paint the gardens with strokes of brilliant colors.
I feel in awe of this intense spectacle. I want to meet the gardener and give thanks for this dazzling display. What must a gardener feel like to create a scene that surprises and nurtures others?
Why does this display of tulips make me feel like I am working better than before they were planted? I can focus better on my project. Actually, I am almost done…ahead of schedule!
Sincerely,
Kailee
Dear Kailee,
You are not the only one to feel that plants improve their ability to get work done.
Dr. Charlie Hall, Professor and Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A & M, answers your question for us. According to Dr. Hall, “Being around plants helps people concentrate better in the home and workplace. Studies show that tasks performed while under the calming influence of nature are performed better and with greater accuracy, yielding a higher quality result. Moreover, being outside in a natural environment can improve memory performance and attention span by 20 percent.”
This is why people go to parks to practice Tai Chi and Qigong. Nature is soothing and known to help healing. Hospitals are placing plants in labyrinth formations so patients can walk through the spaces and absorb harmony and peace.
Good wishes,
Susan Shoenbeck
http://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/health-and-well-being-benefits-of-plants/#.WJktxPkrLDd
Susan Schoenbeck holds Baccalaureate and Master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an experienced educator and teaches nursing students at Walla Walla University — Portland, Oregon campus. She is an oblate of a Benedictine Monastery where she learned centering and contemplative meditation practices. She is author of the book, Zen and the Art of Nursing, Good Grief: Daily Meditations, and Near-Death Experiences: Visits to the Other Side.