Michael K. (SLI) about Nature and Family Bond

Parents and nature, of course, are an important factor. <...> Interacting with another person is an intimate moment. If I want to bond with my child—or anyone—I’m not going to drag them into a big crowd or some kind of party. We’re going to talk together about something meaningful, something good.

The same goes for connecting with nature. If you want a child to really get it, you can’t do that at a noisy party with lots of people. It has to be one-on-one, maybe two or three people. Me, mom, dad—the three of us together in nature. Catching fish together. Getting up early to watch the sunrise. Looking for mushrooms, training together maybe. I can teach a lot. Feeling the scent of the forest, the beauty of the flowers, the warmth of the ground. “Look how amazing this is! Look, butterflies! Look, birds!” He has to feel the pleasure of it all—the smells, the warmth, the vibrations, the sounds. And to understand how good it feels when nature is alive and clean. That’s the way it should be.

<…> I went on solo hikes. I’ve been in the taiga, at Lake Baikal, walking alone in the forest. The campfire is burning, and I walk through the woods—I’m not afraid. I feel like an oak tree standing tall in the forest.

After hikes like that, I felt incredibly recharged. That’s where I began to really feel who I am. I discovered myself out there—realized that this is who I am.

Out there, all the masks fall away... and your true face is revealed. In nature, I feel like my real self. No one pressures me. No one’s scolding you. You’re simply who you are. And that’s when my true self began to emerge. Turns out, that’s the kind of person I am. I have nobility in me. I have a sense of humor. Yes, that’s where I become myself.

I used to be very reserved, not sociable. It was hard for me to communicate. But in nature, I open up more and more, revealing my true nature.