Hello! I wish life is good - or at least manageable - in Your corner of Southern Oregon!

Yes, the term 'forest bathing' has popped up in Finnish mainstream news every now and then. And related studies on the health benefits of being in nature. But inspired by your comment I googled Forest Bathing and read an article by Dr. Qing Li. Very interesting, and I wish the scientific research will keep on evolving on those fields.

Forest Bathing sounds like something which - luckily enough - still is a natural element of lifestyle for a lot of Finnish people. Berry picking, gathering mushroom, just sitting quietly on sauna porch after the sauna bath - I'd guess these activities offer an easy way to be present in nature. Especially if one is not so goal-oriented ; for example, when picking berries some people seem to be mostly interested in harvesting maximum amount of berries in minimum time. Or same with fishing; some people like to brag about the size of their catch. Personally for me that kind of mentality feels somewhat alien, for I feel that simply being-in-nature is the main thing, and fishing or picking berries is just the side activity which helps one to focus, to lose sense of time and to get absorbed in the moment.

Hehe, on a more general level, I feel that we can't simply say that "these are the health benefits of this or that activity", for the effects will vary widely based on how one approaches the activity. The mental state is likely to affect the outcome, altering the physiological and mental processes. Like, I know people who think that hunting is a cruel activity to do. And, equally, I know active hunters who say that killing a prey is just a minor side-effect, for the main thing is to be fully present with all the senses focused in the moment. And to sit by the camp-fire drinking coffee thinking nothing but just sensing the peace all around.

Oh well. The political leaders might be doing what they do, but here at the grass-roots we can keep on decentralizing which ever way we find best suiting in ones local situation =) And, certainly, any form of Forest Bathing seems to be good for that; helping is stay healthy, independent of pills and injections provided by the big pharma companies.