Finding Hope in Nature and Art

Often during the bleakest periods of history, people seek refuge in Nature and the arts. In the nineteen-thirties, during the Great Depression, this was especially true. As part of the WPA Federal Project Number One, the US Government commissioned artists, musicians, actors, and writers to create murals, paintings, literature, photography, and plays. Theater and musical groups toured the US, bringing hope to millions of Americans, who could momentarily forget their difficult circumstances and appreciate beauty.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) also contributed to the nation’s relief by creating new trails and campgrounds at almost every national park. In turn, Americans had the chance to enjoy Nature at a small cost, then return refreshed and inspired to their hard day-to-day lives.

In both of my historical novels, the protagonists seek refuge in a national park. In the forthcoming THE VIEW FROM HALF DOME, set in 1934, Isabel flees to Yosemite after a tragic accident and falls in love with the park’s majestic beauty. There, she meets Yosemite’s first female ranger-naturalist, Enid Michael, who helps her learn new skills and discover an inner strength she never knew she had.

Through her magnificent public wildflower garden, which she oversees with help from the Cascades CCC boys, Enid strives to inspire visitors and ultimately preserve the National Parks. Her friend, the legendary photographer Ansel Adams, also hopes to protect Yosemite by photographing its wild, untainted beauty, so people can see what’s truly at stake—and at risk of being destroyed by loggers.

Then, as in now, people turn to the beauty of Nature, literature, art, and music to find a little reprieve from economic and political turmoil, while reconnecting with each other and themselves.

Meditative Walking

The woods behind our house lead to a creek that winds past the backyards in an adjacent neighborhood. It’s peaceful, usually empty in the early afternoon, and I enjoy the solitude of walking among the thirty-feet tall loblolly pines and oaks.

In fact, I’ve discovered that walking can be a type of meditation, if you allow yourself to slow down, notice the birds, squirrels, and trees, and smaller creatures, and immerse yourself in the present. Once I was surprised by a majestic hawk that swooped down to the creek, seized a squirrel that was scrambling along the bank, and flew to another part of the woods. Another time I thought about the trees and their deep network of roots (the “wood wide web”, per The Hidden Life of Trees) for exchanging nutrients and water. The wood wide web is a true social network in the sense that healthier trees provide more nourishment to the sicker trees, and they all benefit by achieving a healthy balance in their ecosystem.

Often, after I’ve edited one of my two WIPs, I find that walking also gives me a fresh sense of perspective and burst of energy, so when I return to my writing, I have minor solutions to hiccups, or notes about a character or setting.

I hope you can get away and enjoy a little Nature in your backyard, too.