Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.
We all experience pain. For some, it’s a passing ache. For others, it becomes a constant companion — a reminder that life is not always as we hoped it would be. When pain becomes chronic, it’s easy to slip into resistance: wishing it away, fighting it, or resenting what it’s taken. But there’s another path — one that doesn’t demand perfection or control. It’s the path of acceptance, and nature is a powerful guide.
The Lens of Pain: Understanding Trauma’s Impact
Do not underestimate the power of gentleness, because gentleness is strength wrapped in peace…
In her podcast, Better Than Happy, Jody Moore talks about how we’ve all experienced trauma — some of us with a capital “T” and others with a lowercase “t.” The difference isn’t always about what happened, but how our minds and bodies interpret and hold it.
The same can be true for chronic pain. You get to decide whether your pain feels like Trauma — a life-altering event that defines you — or trauma — something you carry and work with, but not something that owns you. That choice matters deeply, because how we name our pain shapes how we heal from it.
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
When Nature Whispers Acceptance
The forest is not a place to escape from life, but a place to remember how to live.
In forest therapy, we slow down. We listen. We notice. The rustle of leaves, the way sunlight filters through branches, the steady rhythm of our breath — these moments invite us to be with what is, rather than against it.
Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up. It means softening our resistance. It means saying, “This is what my body feels right now, and I can still experience peace.” In the forest, we learn from the trees — rooted, resilient, unhurried. We begin to see that pain and peace can coexist.
Oleilu
Finnish. To relax and simply be. without any agenda. The quiet act of existing in the moment.
Don’t Let Pain Become Your Puppet Master
Pain already takes enough from us. When we let it dictate our thoughts, our plans, or our sense of self, our world begins to shrink. We start saying no to life before life even asks the question.
But you have a choice. You can decide not to give pain more power. You can choose expansion — moments of joy, awe, and connection — even in the midst of discomfort. The forest has a way of reminding us that there is always more life available than the pain wants us to believe.
Every time you choose hope, you widen the space inside you where light can live.
-Unknown
Feel Awesome by Taking Action
Scholar Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye once said,
It is helpful to feel awesome when preparing for war.
For many of us living with chronic pain, that war happens quietly inside our own bodies. So ask yourself: what helps you feel awesome?
Maybe it’s standing barefoot in the grass.
Breathing in the scent of pine after rain.
Watching a chickadee tilt its head in curiosity.
These moments don’t erase pain — they remind you that you are more than it.
Nature’s Remedy: Healing in the Woods
Acceptance is not a single choice; it’s a practice. And nature gives us endless opportunities to begin again — with every breath, every sunrise, every step beneath the trees.
When you allow the forest to hold your pain alongside your hope, something shifts. You stop fighting your body and start listening to it. Healing begins in that stillness.
So go. Step outside. Let the forest teach you how to make peace with what hurts — and how to feel a little more awesome along the way.
Broken crayons still colour.
-Unknown
SUNBEAM ACRES 