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Julie Riso Nature Podcast TTT Season 3 Travel Writing

Season 3 Episode 30: Julie Riso on Awakening to Nature

“Each day brings a new surprise – another songbird’s voice, new buds emerge, and, finally, wildflowers. Marsh marigolds first, then violets. The drowsy flight of butterflies and bumblebees. Awaken, sleepyheads. The bewildered emergence of the little furry ones. They stare at me with curiosity, and then skitter away, remembering that my kind is to be feared. The early petals wither while new blooms unfurl. Each one more flamboyant than the last.” Julie Riso, Beneath the Winter

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you. 

I am delighted and thrilled that my blogger friend and writer, Julie Riso, from her blog “Wish I Were Here” and I are connecting Vancouver and Northern Michigan for a discussion on awakening to nature.   

Julie has created a space that welcomes authentic conversations.  She writes that many years ago, she chose to follow an unmarked path – the one filled with detours, dead ends, hitchhikers, kitschy roadside attractions, and unexpected destinations. I knew immediately that I found a kindred spirit.

“Wish I Were Here” is Julie’s travel memoir that explores her journeys through place and time. She inspires readers to live their personal stories and to recognize the connection to nature and all creatures who share our world.

I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for joining Julie and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

And a special thank you, Julie for sharing your insights, your journey, your connection to nature.  You have inspired me, and I know that you have encouraged listeners to recognize that they are forever linked to nature.  Earth is our home.  It is where our story begins and becomes interwoven within the fabric of all that has come before and all that will come after.

I invite you to meet up with Julie on her blog Wish I was Here. It is a place that inspires us to pause, listen to our hearts, discover our dreams and walk with nature in peace with ourselves and with all who walk this earth.

Until next time we meet, dear friends, stay safe, be well.

Julie Riso on Awakening to Nature – Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

By Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

78 replies on “Season 3 Episode 30: Julie Riso on Awakening to Nature”

Thank you Holly for listening in and for your lovely comments. Julie inspires me with her ability to connect with nature intuitively, of understanding the strength of silence, of listening, of simply being. Sending hugs!!!

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Oh, I agree with Julie so much, we need to surrender to the road and let it lead where it takes us. We truly can’t control anything. Thank you very much Rebecca for a wonderful conversation. I enjoyed listening in and very happy ‘meeting’ Julie. I will certainly be following her journey. Many hugs!

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Thank you for listening in and for joining the conversation, Marina. Julie and your podcasts have a marvelous synergy – you both illuminate the beauty of art, music, writing, nature, and care for all creatures who walk the world. Every day we have a choice to live with joy and affirmation, even when surrounded by the complexities of an ever changing mercurial world. We may be separated by miles, but we are following the same pathway. It gives me great comfort.

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I met (in a manner of speaking) Julie almost exactly six years ago, reading a story on her blog that was perhaps the first “travel” post I’d seen that came with a very healthy dose of introspection. I have always admired her ability to weave place and thought. Even then, a reader could see that she made connections with what she saw and experienced just as she does with nature in her beloved northern Michigan today. I enjoyed hearing her mellifluous voice again (I had heard it just once before in, maybe, an old Instagram post); it is a voice that rings true, clear and kind and almost innocent, devoid of judgment and preachiness and old pain. Knowing a teeny bit of her history through her own peepholes into it, I respect her inner journey and current reality even more.

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I am delighted to you listened in, Lex! I agree, Julie’s posts have a mystical quality that allows readers to explore beyond the reality of a specific place, a specific time. She asks us to enter into a inner journey and welcomes us to explore the nature of travel, of life, of belonging. As Anaïs Nin writes, “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”

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Thanks for another nice interview Rebecca. I follow Julie’s blog, and it’s a treat to hear her voice and learn more about the woman behind the mystery. Thank you Julie for sharing more of yourself, your dreams, and wisdom from communing with nature.

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Thank you Brad for listening in and for joining the conversation. I was thrilled that Julie joined me on TTT to discuss our profound need to reconnect with nature and all who walk, crawl, swim, fly – all who share our earth. I don’t know whether Julie remembers that she recommended a book: Maiden Voyages: Writings of Women. The quote that was on the first papge was by Willa Cather: “One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness; one only stumbles upon them by chance, in a lucky hour, at the world’s end somewhere, and holds fast to the days….”

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I agree!! Julie’s voice has a wonderful voice for radio. I am honoured that she graciously agreed to be a guest on TTT. I’m with you – let’s hear more. I’m thrilled that Julie promised to come back. Thank you for listening in and for your comments – very much appreciated!

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How very well said! Julie’s travels and experiences have endowed Julie with a timeless wisdom that comes from opening up to possibles and challenges. What I most appreciated was that she said that everyone came to nature in different and unique ways. I am delighted that you listened in and shared your thoughts.

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Julie’s an amazing writer, Rebecca, as you well know. Her posts are beautiful and stir me deeply. Her connection to nature comes through in her blog and photographs and it was lovely to hear her validate it. As a nature girl, I can relate to her choices and feelings about the her home and comfort in the natural world. We are “of” the planet, not “on” the planet, and I think some of us feel most whole within its embrace. ❤ Thanks so much for the beautiful listen.

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Julie’s voice has a wonderful resonance that exudes humour mixed with wisdom. Last night, I wrote these words in an e-mail to Julie: “As I was listening to our discussion once more before publishing, I felt a marvelous sense of calm reflection in your voice, an openness and courage to explore areas of thought where many hesitate to go, to experience.” I agree, Diana – we are “of” this planted not “on” the planet. Thank you so much for listening in – I love our conversations.

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It was a lovely interview, Julie, and not really surprising to someone who follows you and reads your posts. It was delightful to hear your voice and feel your enthusiasm for the beautiful natural world. I could relate.

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I am delighted and thrilled that you listened in and joined the conversation with Julie and me. I enjoyed this conversation and look forward to Julie return visit. I love the title of your blog – “Where to Next.” I’m just in the middle of reading “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig which talks about alternative lives. How wonderful to be alive and connected to kindred spirits. By the way, I’ve been to Kearney, Omaha, Arnold, Gothenburg, North Platte. Nebraska is an amazing place.

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A wonderful listen, and a profound example of living life the way a person wants to live it, not the conventional way “society” dictates. Kudos to Julie for her choices, her writing, and her eloquence — and to podcaster extraordinaire Rebecca for featuring and expertly conversing with yet another admirable, thought-provoking guest.

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Dave – thank you for your support and encouragement of TTT. You were there from the start when we were trying to figure out how to best capture voices across the space of the internet. Don is still on that adventure and I applaud from the sidelines, letting him go ahead when the pathway turned to frequencies and squiggles on the screen. I knew that you would enjoy this conversation. Julie’s travels and experiences have given her insight into an inner journey and the healing silence within nature, or as Eglund says “the whisper of wisdom.”

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“This is where I felt truly loved … in nature.”

Julie; so wonderful to hear your voice. And, so wonderful to be a kindred spirit. 😎

Clanmother; thank you for this delight!

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I am thrilled that you stopped by John and joined the conversation. Thank you for your heartwarming and encouraging comments. I agree that is is wonderful to find kindred spirits along our journey. Looking forward to our ongoing dialogue.

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I’m familiar with your speaking voice so I’m glad it was time for you to finally hear mine. Thank you for listening. 🙂

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Hi Rebecca, it was lovely to listen to this conversation about Julie’s connection with nature. Strangely, I was saying to my dad today, on the way back from the doctor, that South Africans have a very strong connection to the wild natural wonder of our country. We love to go into the bush and live roughly for a few days, viewing animals, insects, birds and even vegetation in its completely natural form. I think we are very lucky that we can do this as I don’t think there are that many totally wild places left in this world. Julie’s story about the turtle shell was delightful.

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I agree there are not many totally wild places left in this world. Your comment reminded me about a thought that Martina wrote in Dave Astor’s most recent post. How travel puts enormous stress on the environment . There has been an exponential growth in tourism over the past 4 decades which has negatively impacted the environment. Tourism puts pressure on natural resources through over consumption, often in places where resources are already scarce. I am glad that there are wild places that remain. I may never visit your amazing country, but I am glad that I can tag along with you. Thank you so much for listening in and for joining Julie and me in nature. Hugs!

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Thank you, Roberta. I’ve only been to Cape Town, on my way to Namibia, but I was truly captivated by Table Mountain and the otherworldly feel of nature there. Going into the bush in SA must be an incredible experience.

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Hi Julie, it is. Table Mountain is remarkable and has its own eco system. This is what BBC says about the Cape Floral Kingdom: Located near South Africa’s south-western tip, the Cape Floral Kingdom is home to the highest concentration of plant species on the planet. It has three times as many plant varieties as the Amazon rainforest, and 70% of its 9,600 plant species grow nowhere else on Earth. It’s also a flammable ecosystem that needs to burn to survive. – We are planning a holiday in Cape Town in December.

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It was refreshing to listen to the conversation between Julie and you, Rebecca. I sensed her calmness, softness, and the feeling of easiness with no assertion or restriction to the nature around her. It’s like water, soft yet powerful. I agree that we are of nature. It’s within us and around us. The noises from human invention could drown our sense of connection with nature. It seems like the cabin your grandfather built is perfect for you, Julie. I enjoyed listening to this conversation. Thank you, Rebecca and Julie.

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I am delighted that you listened in Miriam. I agree – Julie’s voice brings out a calmness which invites reflection, and a profound acceptance of simply being present. I especially appreciate your words: “It’s like water, soft yet powerful.” Thank you for joining the conversation. Sending hugs!

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Thank you so very much , Miriam. I actually live in my own little cabin now, which is across the road from my Grandpa’s. I stayed there while mine was being built. I understand that I wasn’t very clear about that. 🙂

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What a delight this was. So lovely to hear your voice at last Julie, and your thoughts on our deep connection to nature. Thank you Rebecca for bringing Julie to us. I’ve been following her blog, her beautiful writing, for years.
Alison

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Thank you Alison for joining the conversation. I am grateful that Julie graciously accepted my invitation to join me on TTT. Isn’t it wonderful to hear the voice of a writer who adds beauty and joy to our lives.

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Dearest Rebecca. Thank you so much for inviting me on TTT. But especially thank you for your contributions to the blogging community and to the internet. In these days of angry, empty chatter, your blogs are an oasis of serenity and class. I’ve told you before, but I’m saying it again: your presence is a true gift. 💖

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Thank you, Julie for your heartwarming comments which move me profoundly. I have been thinking of our next conversation. David Henry Thoreau wrote in his book, “Walking” which I just happened to discover only a few days ago.: “I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute Freedom and Wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil,—to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society. I wish to make an extreme statement, if so I may make an emphatic one, for there are enough champions of civilization: the minister and the school committee and every one of you will take care of that. I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks—who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering, which word is beautifully derived “from idle people who roved about the country, in the Middle Ages,….”

This is my thinking – although it is nebulous at this point: I have spent most of my life in winter, which is not unusual for someone living in Canada and growing up in Northern Canada. I would like to discuss, walking in Winter, something that you have experienced as well. Will be in touch. Many many hugs!

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What a wonderful surprise to listen to this very touching conversation between Rebecca and Julie, two very special blogger, whom I have known for many years. I completely agree with Julie, when she says that walking alone in nature helps us to live a life of integrity, but I am also convinced that to live this kind of life asks for a lot of courage, because you have to get rid of all the unnecessary things!
Many thanks to both of you and I wish you perseverance in your convictions:)
Very best regards Martina

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I am delighted that you listened in Martina. Yes, we have known each other for many years. In fact, I think that the three of us met around the same time, which is a testament to the power of serendipity. I was delighted that Julie joined me on TTT. I agree that integrity and courage are inseparable and are only effective when they are in sync. The idea of reducing consumption, and letting go of things is a life-affirming choice. Sending many hugs back your way.

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Thank you so very much for listening in, dear Martina. Courage and integrity are indeed interwoven. I’m grateful to have known you for so many years now.

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This is amazing ~ not just the stories and philosophy that you two share, but the exchange between you two is so natural that it seems I am a third person sitting in on this interview 🙂 And it is also very cool to hear Julie’s voice being exactly how I imagine it would be when I read her work! Cheers to this great post, a talented interviewer and a talent artist. Be healthy and take care.

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I am delighted that you joined Julie and me on TTT. I agree Julie has a marvelous voice that welcomes a listener to listen in and welcome the solitude and peace of nature. Looking forward to our ongoing dialogue. Thank you for listening in – very much appreciated.

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