Southwest Treasures Newsletter- Celebrating the diversity, magic, mystery, culture and history of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah!

September 17, 2026

Hello There Reader

The last two newsletters have been about people who touched my life—teenage girls who taught me about compassion and Kay, whose adventurous spirit continues to inspire me.

But people aren’t our only teachers.

The forests, mountains, mesas, and canyons of the Southwest have also helped me find my way through difficult times. Sometimes simply stepping outside, slowing down, and paying attention can settle something within us.

Today, this practice has a name: forest bathing.

It doesn’t require an actual forest—or a bathtub! It can happen beneath ponderosa pines, beside a mountain stream, in a desert canyon, or even in a quiet city park.

Returning to Something Ancient

Many of us practiced forest bathing long before we knew the term existed.

As children, we built forts beneath trees, wandered through creek beds, searched for animal tracks, and spent entire afternoons outside without looking at a clock. We experienced nature with curiosity and wonder.

Forest bathing invites us to rediscover that way of being.

In a world filled with notifications, deadlines, and distractions, stepping into a forest, canyon, meadow, garden, or desert landscape may be one of the simplest ways to reconnect—with nature, with ourselves, and with the present moment.

For those of us who call the Four Corners home, the healing presence of nature is not something we have to travel far to find.

It may be waiting just outside the door.

In my newest article, I explore what forest bathing really means, why nature affects us so deeply, and how you can practice it wherever you are.

Read Bathed by the Wild: Forest Bathing in the Four Corners​

As we move into autumn and the leaves begin to turn, enjoy all that nature has to share—and may you find a quiet place to breathe it all in this week.

Sharron

Continue Your Journey: Finding Calm in the Southwest

If forest bathing reminded you how deeply nature can restore the mind and body, why let that feeling end when the hike is over?

The Finding Calm in the Southwest bundle includes gentle Jin Shin Jyutsu self-care practices, emotional resets for difficult days, and peaceful Southwest destinations that have helped me reconnect during life’s many transitions.

Whether you are walking beneath towering pines, exploring desert landscapes, or seeking a little more calm at home, these guides can help you carry that sense of peace wherever you go.

Till Next time!