I was reminded while visiting one of North America's great cities recently (Toronto) how easily many city dwellers can become disconnected from nature. Opportunities to experience nature become both more precious as well as perhaps more important, too.
A luminous visit to the Toronto Music Garden, listening to the wonderfully crafted audio guide as part of the visit, I was struck by a comment in an audio snippet (describing the dance forms). The commentator mentioned that during Bach's time, people in Europe were very much still part of nature, even living in cities, where he said, birds, animals, and the more gritty realities of life were always evident.
Interesting to contemplate, in an antiseptic age where it's quite easy to see nothing particularly natural while walking along a city street, much less hear birdsong.
So it's always a delightful experience to seek out those places that do remind us of the natural world, whether restored, created, or evoked.
The Toronto Music Garden and its surrounding restored wetland areas are places that give respite and restore the spirit, for sure.
A luminous visit to the Toronto Music Garden, listening to the wonderfully crafted audio guide as part of the visit, I was struck by a comment in an audio snippet (describing the dance forms). The commentator mentioned that during Bach's time, people in Europe were very much still part of nature, even living in cities, where he said, birds, animals, and the more gritty realities of life were always evident.
Interesting to contemplate, in an antiseptic age where it's quite easy to see nothing particularly natural while walking along a city street, much less hear birdsong.
So it's always a delightful experience to seek out those places that do remind us of the natural world, whether restored, created, or evoked.
The Toronto Music Garden and its surrounding restored wetland areas are places that give respite and restore the spirit, for sure.