Thinking Time

Last Saturday I had half a day of thinking time, also known as ‘me’ time. I spent the morning in the woods. Facilitated by a team of experienced forest school leaders, the session was spent learning and connecting. It was an opportunity to explore the woods in my own time and space.

During the morning, we walked together as a group. Gradually spreading out as we went, each of us following different interests. I scanned the trees for birds. Others collected kindling for the fire. Some foraged. And drawn by the unifying call of nature, we came together again to exchange notes. I learned, for example, that newly sprouted bramble tips taste like coconut.

We walked to part of the old canal, admiring the quiet beauty of the area. I lay on the bank, mesmerised by the circles created by drops of water from the roof of a now disused tunnel. A wren chattered from the hedgerow, visible very fleetingly as it perched on a tree stump.

Throughout the session, I felt safe. It was as though the leaders had thrown a white light of protection around the group. Nobody would be left behind, no matter how long they wanted to stop and stare. There was no hurry to do anything, or be anywhere. For the first time in a long while, I felt life slow down. My roots had time to reconnect with the earth beneath my feet as I paused. The chaotic rush of chasing time eased, for a while.

Back at camp, I studied bluebells through a lens, while another attendee found a quiet space to sit and sketch. Some made a fire around which they talked. Life talk which adults need space for, without interruption. The talk sometimes brought adult insides to the outside. Within this protective space, people heard the words, and understood. No matter how raw, they were caught gently and held as they fell.

Towards the end of the session, we reconvened to cook nettle crisps and garlic bread. Then, as though waking from a deep sleep, we realised it was time to leave. We were being drawn back into our lives. But each of us had filled our inner cups with nature. We had had a chance to decelerate, and time to reflect.

This was an important session for me personally. Since lockdown ended, I’ve felt more stressed by social pressures. My brain needs time to decompress. And even without any neurodivergent circuitry, thinking time is vital for all of us. However we achieve that space, we need to reconnect with ourselves.