On the way back from dropping my kids off at school, my steps slow down as I wander aimlessly.

On the way back from dropping my kids off at school, my steps slow down as I wander aimlessly. I can hear birds chirping nearby. They’re clearly close, but I can’t see them very well. I stop and perk up my ears, scanning the area again like a radar. Sometimes they sing from within the trees, sometimes they shout “I love you,” and sometimes they send warnings that danger is near. Then, they disappear. And just as suddenly, a bird reappears!

When I was in Korea, I wasn’t lonely because I often captured birds that vanished and reappeared out of nowhere in photos and wrote about them. Now that I’m in the U.S., on lucky days, when I hear the songs from the tall trees and spot the bird responsible, I can’t help but exclaim “Wow!” with a smile.

When I first arrived in Pasadena, California, without knowing anyone, I found no time to feel lonely as I observed the birds, squirrels, lizards, and coyotes in the neighborhood. It was fun discovering birds that weren’t native to Korea, and it was an everyday excitement to encounter squirrels eating acorns on the street. Coyotes crossing the road and wandering around the college area were a little scary, but they also kept me alert and surprised.

Taking a forest guide course, I discovered the joy of observing and recording nature. I never realized before how special it is to find a single bird, a new sprout, or a flower on an ordinary day. Whenever loneliness starts creeping in, I step outside. When I see the living world with my eyes and listen to it with my ears, loneliness soon fades away. I realize that the world isn’t just for humans, and that all creatures in the great outdoors are doing their best with the lives they’ve been given. Watching these living beings gives me strength, both big and small, to keep going.

Take a moment to stop in your neighborhood. There’s so much joy in the ground under your feet, the grass, the trees at your eye level, the birds, the sky, the clouds, and the sun. There are so many colorful, vibrant experiences to enjoy. Shall we share stories about the birds, animals, and plants we met today?