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The
Power of Nature
by Steve Zikman |
"There is no other door to knowledge than the door Nature opens; and there is no truth except
the truths we discover in Nature." --Luther Burbank
TRAVEL BRINGS US TO NATURE
And nature to us. Close to Us. Face to face. Limb to limb.
Amazonian rain forests. Solitary quiver trees in the Kalahari. Passing icebergs off
the coast of Greenland. Windswept dunes on the Baltic.
Hippos bathing in the Okavango Delta. Kangaroos pronking in the Australian Outback. A
moose chomping on a lily pad in the morning mist of a Canadian lake.
Balmy breezes. Drenching humidity. Monsoons. Typhoons. The wettest of wet. Crisp
Arctic air. Howling, pounding wind. Misty mountain clouds. Scorching desert sun.
We travel through Nature. We travel with Nature. We discover Nature, in its
magnificence. In its brilliant, radiant message. In all of its rich and wild glory. We are overwhelmed in its
presence. We are blissfully overjoyed.
WE ARE NATURE'S WITNESS
We encounter the power of nature, its awesome abundance and diversity. We experience its
majesty, its splendor. Its enormity, scope, height, depth, expanse. Its hold on time. Its permanence.
And impermanence. Bastion of the secrets of time.
We behold nature's hospitality, its simple nurturing. Providing us with what we need.
The shade of its splendid branches. A warm fire. A cave in which to spend the night. Clear spring
water. Fresh fish. We celebrate what we have. Plenty. Nature's caring hands. Travel's watchful
eye.
Nature stops us, obliges us to think, to ponder, to appreciate its inviting
display. Nature forces us to acknowledge, value, love, treasure. Someone else's environment, someone else's
landscape, someone else's garden. Somebody else's grand backyard. Our environment, our landscape, our
garden. Our grand backyard. Nature is gratitude.
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In the course of my numerous wanderings, I have seen how travel has informed and empowered my
life as well as the lives of my fellow travelers. I have witnessed the extent of travel's positive
power, the magnitude of its enriching and healing capabilities. Beyond its
refreshing and revitalizing qualities, travel has the unmatched capacity to be a wellspring of self-discovery
and personal growth, a path to ourselves.
Travel is and will continue to be a powerful but precious gift.
However, as worldwide travel increases, so do the pressures on both our physical and cultural environments. Continue to
respect our world, its people, its places, its animals, its landscape. Continue to respect nature.
Continue to respect our differences. We owe that to ourselves, to each other and to the
generations yet to be.
Whether we're traveling to the farthest corners of the Earth or to the next village, whether
we're going for a couple of days or a year, the power of travel awaits. Make the time. Make the
space. Live the power of travel.
Copyright © Steve
Zikman. Excerpted and adapted from "The Power of Travel: A Passport to Adventure, Discovery & Growth" by Steve Zikman (Tarcher Putnam).
No portions of this may be used without the express written permission of the author and
publisher.
STEVE ZIKMAN
"The man who wrote the book on Wanderlust." -- The Washington Post
Born and raised in Canada, Steve Zikman has ventured through over fifty countries on six
continents. In fact, Steve left behind a successful law practice and set out on a three year
around-the-world journey through Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific.
Steve's travels have allowed him to trek the Himalayas, welcome the sunrise over the Amazonian
jungle, backpack across erupting lava fields in Zaire, and chat with two of the most
fascinating figures of our times--Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa.
Following a creative path, he studied photography in Berlin and then spent a year with his
laptop in South Africa.
Combining writing with his passion for the road, Steve Zikman is the author of "The Power of
Travel: A Passport to Adventure, Discovery and Growth" and the coauthor of the forthcoming best-selling
series title, "Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul" with Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.
In addition to his writings, Steve is a dynamic and captivating keynote speaker, certified
labyrinth facilitator, and seminar leader. This intrepid adventurer now spends his days inspiring people
to embrace a fuller and richer experience of both travel... and life!
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