The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God.
Anne Frank
This quote is poignant because of the circumstances of this young girl during the Holocaust. As I read it, I couldn’t help but think of all the stories I have heard during my career about nurses, against all odds, getting gravely ill or dying patients outdoors to experience nature. There is a story I have quoted often of nurses who brought snow into a patient’s room for her to experience a snow ball fight for one last time. These narratives in our practice reinforce the value Nightingale put on nature. And it speaks to Integrative Nursing principle #3, “Nature has healing and restorative properties that contribute to health and wellbeing.”
Imagine the joy our colleagues and ourselves have brought by tending to our patients’ need for nature.