My new ‘Dog’

My new ‘Dog’ gets me out most days. Holds me to account. Gives me no choice but to take a wander in the wilds, and I’m all the better for it.

Throughout my life I’ve always had a dog by my side, whether it was Ricky the grumpy Poodle who guarded my pram in the backstreets of the milltown of my birth, one of the many Collies (Lassie style big and furry) or my more recent four legged companions. Walking the dog was a thrice daily event through much of my adult life, a two mile walk before breakfast, a quick twenty minute wander at noon and a final mile or two last thing at night. It was my ritual, my grounding and touchstone for time outdoors.

Tommy in particular needed these rambles and runs. He was the son of a rescued street dog of unknown fathering, Lurcheresque in his demeanour but shot through with high energy. On the odd occasion when I couldn’t walk him for a day or two, and a garden romp had to suffice, he would sink into a doggy depression alternating between bouncing off the walls and sulking in his bed. So I walked him virtually every day of his ten and a half years. Or did he walk me?

Our wanders took in the local valley and lakesides with weekly sojourns further afield to Rivington Pike or deep into the moors of Anglezarke. Some days I couldn’t be bothered, lots to do, but I had no choice… Tommy had to be walked. Some days Tommy couldn’t be bothered, too wet, too cold… but Tommy had to be walked. So we walked, and we walked. A conservative estimate of our miles covered together comes to no less that twelve thousand!

Then Tommy died, and I stopped walking. I thought I was walking Tommy for his benefit, but soon realised that I too was now slipping into a morose mood more often. Could I find enough reason to walk myself I wondered. Occasionally Tommy visited me in my dreams and ran around me with a stick inviting me to play. So I doubled down on my efforts and took the occasional walk into the local countryside.

But I lacked consistency, I couldn’t build the habit without a dog to keep me accountable. My inner boss kept piling on the work so that I kept telling myself ‘I’ll walk tomorrow’. Do you recognise that too? I did get better though. I framed my creativity as a big black cat that needed exercise, and that worked for a while, but I frequently slipped back. Maybe I was missing my Tommy.

Eventually I built my Earthlight passion project and began sharing my roams with a growing audience. This seemed to work, so much so that I began to have the occasional creativity trip to beautiful, wild places. I would take photos, shoot mini films and write during these ventures, creating visual stories that I could share with our communities.

Autumn Leaves flow with the river.

I spent time reviewing my creativity and realised that my camera had been my main voice for most of my life as I shared stories as a boy with family and friends, with a wider audience through the magazines I created content for and then, later, with an audience that was gathering with my wife Nicola and I.

So I began to experiment by taking myself out two or three time a week to shoot more short films, record more Poetic Pauses and gather occasional stories of interest to share with our groups. And to some degree it worked, although I didn’t have the absolute necessity to get out and shoot, to get out and walk, to get out and create. I would occasionally slip back and take my seat in front of the computer, typing my day away.

Accountability is such a big thing, and a huge incentive. I was accountable to Tommy, I couldn’t let him down as he needed his daily walks to stay sane. I began to realise, I needed those daily walks too. Tommy was my teacher, my guide and my coach to a better way of being. This realisation gave me pause for thought and I pondered on the possibility of owning another dog. However, knowing that the dog’s needs must come first, this was not an option as our current lifestyle wouldn’t easily fit with the needs of a new dog.

Noting the way my semi-regular sharings of Medicine Movies and Poetic Pauses were being welcomed by my online community I hatched a plan to weave in some cast iron, non-negotiable accountability. What if I committed to create a Medicine Movie every week, a Poetic Pause every week, an inspiring written piece every week and a Virtual sit spot video every week? And what if I charged a few pounds a month for access to these nature connection touch points? That would make me incredibly accountable.

So Becoming Nature was born and a clan of over two hundred nature lovers gathered to accompany me on this adventure. Together, virtually we share a few valuable moments of deep nature connection three times a week and go on a deep dive to some wild location every six weeks or so.

The upshot is that I absolutely have to get out into nature, onto the land several times each and every week to catch the stories and fulfil my end of the bargain. In return my growing community get to enjoy a nurturing connection with nature every couple of days and to learn from me how to better build a physical relationship with nature and the land on which we live.

Becoming Nature has become my new beloved dog, my companion that ensures I take a wander regularly, seek out the beauty, and help nurture their health and wellbeing in return. It’s an absolute win win. So far, four months in I’ve missed just one piece out of the four weekly sharings, and that due to illness. That’s over a hundred sharings already during the past winter weeks. I can’t wait to share the rest of the year with the Becoming Nature community.

Getting out most days of the week has been life changing for me. I have more clarity, my self worth is on the rise and I have a regular fix of nature’s medicine throughout the week. Accountability is strong medicine, and I thoroughly recommend it! And from the hundreds of comments and emails I receive from my members Becoming Nature is proving to be highly nurturing, even life changing for them too.