A series drawing on a therapist’s insights into play, wandering, and presence in relation to vocational exploration and discernment.
I first came upon the tantalizing phrase, “idle and blessed,” in Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Summer Day”:
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
It is in such unhurried states—with an open heart and peaceful mind—that callings often stir. I have found that nature walks offer a practice of intentional “idleness,” which allow the mind to wander and reflect, to stir rich self-understanding “blessedly” and to deepen vocational discernment.
At the heart of my work as a therapist and psychology professor is a practice of listening attentively to others’ life stories and guiding their vocational steps. Often, I remind myself to stop the afternoon grading or email grind to take a walk and reset myself. I practice being idle and blessed; I pause from reacting and go on a five-minute amble to a local park with a simple path and a tranquil stream. These contemplative strolls reenergize my focus and often release creative insight. I may come back to my office with a novel way to teach my next psychology class or a better answer to a student’s question. When time allows for a more leisurely ramble—like wandering the woods around our small hobby farm or hiking for the day at a state park—I often find myself playing with stanzas for a poem, realigning with my being roles and releasing whatever stressful irritant has taken up too much headspace.
Historical examples and scientific evidence alike show that nature walks can activate our brains in ways that are especially conducive to self-reflection and creative problem-solving. Aristotle and his students in ancient Athens became known as the Peripatetics, which in Greek means, “given to walking about.” As Aristotle taught philosophy to his students, they strolled around the grounds of the Lyceum, because he believed that movement and observation promoted deeper reflection. Consider, too, the concept of a pilgrimage, an ancient practice of an intentional journey for self-growth and spiritual exploration. In these ways, walking has a long history as a practice of creating space to think and grow.
Current psychological studies bear out this ancient wisdom, illustrating that nature walks can allow the mind to wander and cultivate meaning. Based on their research, Marily Oppezzo and Daniel Schwartz concluded that walking can facilitate divergent thinking: they observed that participants in their study generated more creative ideas while walking than while sitting, suggesting that this simple act might create conditions conducive to exploratory thinking. Walking increased creativity not only during the activity but also shortly afterward; walking outside produced the “most novel and highest quality analogies.” More recently, in response to the growing health issues associated with urban living, the Japanese government has promoted the ancient practice of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, the intentional immersion of your senses into a woodland environment. In forest bathing, a person mindfully walks within a green forest to promote clarity in the mind and restores mental focus. According to physician Qing Li, even 15-30 minutes of forest bathing can produce a notable decrease in physiological markers of stress and promote relaxation.
Lifelong vocational discernment requires more than a singular conversation or a list of pros and cons. It involves noticing what consistently draws our attention when we aren’t being bombarded by the noise and demands of external obligations. When we allow ourselves to be “idle and blessed,” the themes that repeatedly rise to the surface often offer significant insights into ourselves—what matters to us, what we are drawn to, and what gives meaning to our lives. Vocational discernment necessitates ongoing exploration to develop meaningful goals consistent with our individual ways of being and unique strengths, which we put in service to something beyond ourselves. It’s often in the moments when our minds wander, or when we allow ourselves to daydream, that we are able to feel pulled or called in a specific direction and imagine who we can become. We need space for this kind of unstructured thought.
Neuroscience researchers have discovered the default mode network (DMN) of interconnected brain regions that are activated during internally directed cognition. In this process, your mind links autobiographical memories, future imaginings, meaning making, and perspective-taking processes. Much of modern life often requires directed, “on task” attention that limits the DMN and its internally directed cognition. By reducing distraction, nature walks can create conditions for this network to function and support associating memories, relationships, and values, which all play a role in developing vocational insight.
I hesitate to recommend a formula for a vocational nature walk. Yet I would be remiss not to provide an adjustable framework for readers who are eager to begin, yet tentative about how to do so. As you imagine taking this walk, consider listening to yourself while moving through the environment in some kind of natural rhythm. Running water and birdsong are nature’s pharmacy to quiet the racing mind.
- First, simply arrive. Notice your breath, observe your surroundings, and experience your feet in motion on the ground, in this space and moment.
- Next allow your mind to drift. With gentle openness, turn inward to the thoughts that keep returning to you. With curiosity, be interested in where your mind wanders. What does it say about what matters to you? How does it connect with who you are and what you want in your life? If you ruminate on a particular distressing thought, notice and observe what you are feeling. Name the feeling, accept it without judgment, and let it signal to you what it means; then allow the mind to continue to drift.
- If time is limited, reflect on one meaningful question: When and where in my day, week, or month did I feel most connected to myself, to my work, or to my loved ones? Think through each question deliberately, and pay attention to what comes to mind.
- Last, before you reenter your workspace or home, take note—and perhaps write down in a journal—any insight that you want to remember or explore further.
Perpetual busyness—fueled by a cultural emphasis on efficiency and productivity—frequently crowds out the reflective space necessary to cultivate a meaningful life. Nature walks provide an optimal environment for self-reflection, allowing for what emerges in our unstructured thoughts to reveal what matters most. I encourage all of us (myself included) to make space for meandering walks and the respite they provide—for being idle and blessed.
Carrie Caudill is an associate professor of psychology at Newberry College and a licensed therapist. Her work integrates mindfulness, nature, spirituality, and relational well-being to promote human flourishing across educational, clinical, and community settings. Her scholarship and professional presentations focus on mindfulness, nature-based interventions, spirituality, mental health, relational quality, and their impact on well-being. Her writing has appeared on Psychology Today and the South Carolina Counseling Association’s blog, as well as in the journal, Mental Health, Religion & Culture. She was a participant in the 2026 NetVUE Writing Colloquy. For more posts by Carrie, please visit her author page on this blog.