I grew up in big cities and I still have somewhat of an issue connecting with nature in a big way. Big nature as in wild water rafting, mountain climbing, several-day bike trips, overnights in a lean-to in the woods and stuff like that. I don't feel comfortable in big nature because of a lack of guidance and experience. Instead, I connect with little nature in the form of my houseplants or my vegetable garden. I get really excited when seedlings emerge from the soil in early spring, and I love accompanying them on their growth journey through the season towards becoming fully grown vegetables. It's a bit like watching your children grow and develop and change and come into being.

Discovering little green tomatoes among the greenery and then seeing them grow grow grow into big red ripe juicy fruit we can actually eat is awesome and so rewarding. The whole process is a bit magical to me. When I find a ripe zucchini lurking under its big protective leaves it is like finding a present or a prize. And I love bringing the flowers from the vegetable garden into the house, a bouquet of purplepink chive flowers, or perhaps a few sprigs of white and gangly arugula flowers together with a few sage flowers.

I don't think it matters how you come to appreciate nature, how you connect with it, how you come to respect it - as long as you do it in your own way.