The wild life

This has been a wild year. The wildness started this spring with an unexplained tapping on my office window. The taps come at irregular and unpredictable times and stop as I investigate the cause. While working one early spring morning the tapping presented itself in the form of a robin. Perched in the maple tree outside my window, the young bird flies straight into the window, flutters his wings and flees back to the maple branch where he once perched. He repeats this dance numerous times, amorous of the beautiful bird reflected in the window or battling the challenger who looks exactly like the aggressor? I'll never know which. The next few weeks when tapping is heard, my wife and I look at each other and simultaneously announce, "Robin." Mystery solved.

The robin is not the only bird that taps on my house this spring. The notorious flicker, a large woodpecker, arrives with loud drumming on the metal heater exhaust pipe rising from the roof of my home. First, I think the water pipes are rattling as they did in my childhood home then realize, no water is running. I walk to the deck dressed only in pajamas and slippers examining my roof. I view the speckled bird pounding on the metal tube, pick up the first thing I see, a rubber duck and chuck it directly at the bird.

As the bird flies away I scold, "Get out of here!" The bird screams back as he quickly flies from the roof mocking my frustration. The next few weeks the woodpecker and I battle over ownership of my house. The flicker's spring ritual to attract mates and establish dominance is in direct conflict with my spring ritual of sleeping past 5 a.m. and keeping my house intact. The three-week battle ends in a draw; he drums, I yell and the only damage is my lack of sleep.

A few weeks later my wife and I walk up our driveway after hiking the neighborhood. Again, something is tapping at the window but this time it's coming from inside the house. I slowly open the front door not sure what to expect and see a brownish-grey feathered mass flapping wildly in the skylight. A quail decided to enter our home through the back door, left open to allow Molly, our geriatric dog, to come and go as needed. Molly - who since has passed - sits at attention drooling at the excited bird and does not move until I grab a ladder to liberate the quail. Molly lays down and goes to sleep, exhausted from the excitement.

This morning a flock wild turkey dig in my neighbor's yard and last night coyotes sang as I watched the moon rise above the tree line. Last week I received an email from my community association warning of a mountain lion and her cubs which have been seen by numerous homeowners on the hill behind my house. This has been a wild year.

Squirrels and blue jays fighting over peanuts, deer prematurely dead-heading the lilies in my front yard, and raccoons eating the fish in my pond might frustrate most city-dwellers but I'm not frustrated. Seeing, touching, interacting and being in nature feels good. Each time I examine my pond's destruction I shake my head and laugh. When a blue jay screeches at a squirrel and wakes me from my slumber I smile. Removing deer scat from my sidewalk is a chore I embrace. Being close to nature promotes my psychological health.

There is a large body of psychological research that confirms the connection between a person's psychological wellness and his or her closeness to nature. The following research begins to explain the calming effect nature has on my soul.

• A window view of nature increases recovery from surgery, leads to less use of health-care services among prison inmates, improves work performance in job settings and increases job satisfaction. Even pictures of nature, organic material and the word nature promote mental wellness.

• A naturalistic environment in senior housing and assisted living communities increases hope and the feeling of a purposeful life by residents. The naturalistic environment might include a central garden, bird feeders, pets, plants and squirrel habitats.

• Nature affects child development. When children are allowed to explore in a natural environment free from technology and excessive nonenvironmental stimulation, a child calms and becomes less impulsive and less reactive.

• Pets help children develop self-esteem, positive relationships, intimacy and higher levels of moral reasoning.

• Many outdoor activities include a physical aspect such as hiking, swimming and biking, which promote physical and emotional health.

• Individuals struggling with nature deprivation often also struggle with depression and anxiety.

• Conversely, individuals struggling with depression and anxiety often benefit from scheduled doses of nature such as taking a walk, viewing wildlife, reading about natural experiences and participating in nature.

• Exciting natural experiences create an increase in a neurotransmitter in one's brain called dopamine. This increase of dopamine creates a natural high and emotional rush, which makes the experience desirable. We experience this rush when catching a cutthroat trout, unexpectedly meeting a moose or seeing a beautiful Rocky Mountain sunset.

Nature keeps me grounded. When feeling out of control, anxious or stressed, I grab my fly rod, climbing pack, golf clubs, kayak or snow shoes and head outside. Mother Nature is my therapist.

Bill Rutherford is a psychotherapist, public speaker, elementary school counselor, adjunct college psychology instructor and executive chef, and owner of Rutherford Education Group. Please email him at bprutherford@hotmail.com or visit www.dietingwithdignity.com.