Perhaps it sounds too much like a cliché to say that in this remarkably fast-paced world, as we live our lives bombarded with digital and other rapid-fire, nonstop stimuli and the relentless demands of our modern-day lives, it’s so important to slow things down and reflect on where we are in the moment. But some cliches are profound and worth repeating, aren’t they? Thousands of years ago Confucius concluded that true reflection is one of the principal paths toward wisdom. Scott Turner thinks much the same.

Bouncing back. Under the best of circumstances that’s what we humans do when we stumble in life. If we’re fortunate, we get up, dust ourselves off, and move on. And hasn’t nature taught us this lesson many times over, as when forests destroyed by fire manage miraculously to rejuvenate? The poet W. H. Auden put it well: “Healing is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.” And that’s also what we hear from Scott Turner.

The most astute and perceptive among us recognize, indeed celebrate, the profound connections between the survival of diverse plant and animal species and our own destiny as human beings. How we treat the plants and animals whose paths we cross says in awful lot about who we are as people and about our purpose on this planet. And this is the compelling message offered by Scott Turner.

It sounds a bit like a cliche : Slow things down. Smell the roses. Take note of the breathtakingly beautiful sunset, the gentle trickle of a hillside stream, the sparkle of raindrops as they bounce off a flower petal. The truth is, all of us would do well to reflect on the natural wonders that surround us and, as Scott Turner tells us, reflect on what they can teach us about the trajectory of our lives.

The most fortunate among us have learned to appreciate the glorious life lessons taught by our natural environment – if, that is, we take the time to notice. Stunning sunsets, budding trees, and polar ice caps are packed with meaning about the origins of life, the mysteries of the universe, and inexplicable life forces. Scott Turner reflects on the profound lessons he has learned about what matters most in life by stepping back and watching a hawk in full flight.