Have you ever been out for a walk in the woods or sitting quietly by a stream when a butterfly suddenly lands near you, or a breeze kicks up just as your thoughts start to wander? Maybe it’s a perfectly timed deer sighting, or the way light pours through the trees exactly when you needed a sign.
Some call these moments signs. Others call them coincidences. But what if they’re simply doorways?
In a world designed to fragment our focus, anything that makes us pause and reflect serves a purpose. These moments pull us out of autopilot and into the present. Patterns or coincidences make us pay attention. And that may be just what we need to pivot our attention.
And that is exactly what time in nature gives us.
When Life Feels Disconnected, Nature Reconnects Us
Modern life excels at splintering our attention. With constant pings, alerts, deadlines, and the scroll of social media, we often find ourselves mentally exhausted but spiritually untouched. And when we’re burned out or overwhelmed, even small coincidences can feel like the universe reaching through the noise to tap us on the shoulder.
In these moments—especially when they happen outdoors—it’s not about proving something cosmic.
It’s about noticing.
“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
— Mary Oliver
When you step into the forest or walk a quiet trail, you’re entering a space not designed by algorithms or agendas. Nature doesn’t care what’s trending. It offers presence. It offers rhythm. And within that, we often experience the interruption our soul needs.
Coincidences as Natural Pattern-Breakers
Coincidences and patterns in nature—like spotting a rare butterfly just as you’re contemplating a decision, or finding a perfectly heart-shaped stone on a stressful day—don’t have to be mystical to be meaningful.
They break the monotony of internal noise. They give us pause. They spark reflection. And that’s scientifically powerful.
A 2019 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that spending just 20 minutes in nature significantly lowers cortisol levels, the body’s primary stress hormone. What’s more, the benefits are maximized when the experience is unstructured—simply walking, sitting, or noticing, not exercising with earbuds in or trying to multitask.
Coincidences or “small wonders” in nature serve as anchors to the present moment. They are, in effect, natural mindfulness cues.
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Value of Walking Through the Door
Even if these signs are random, they’re useful. Isn’t that enough?
If you find a fern curling toward the sun in a perfect spiral right after thinking about starting over—let it mean something. If the wind picks up just as you start crying—let it move something inside you. Whether it’s divine, random, or psychological doesn’t matter as much as this:
It got your attention.
Read that again.
It got your attention.
And attention is the first step toward renewal.
Nature is full of metaphors and mysteries, but it’s also full of science-backed support for your emotional well-being. Studies show that immersion in green space improves mood, boosts creativity, and even enhances immune function (American Psychological Association-2020).
Practical Ways to Invite These “Doorways” Into Your Day
You don’t have to wait for a vacation or a spiritual retreat to reset in nature. Here are a few ways to start noticing the “doorways” around you:
- Take a solo nature walk once a week. No agenda, no earbuds—just walk and notice. Yep, I did say solo. When a friend, spouse, or child is with you, your thoughts are distracted. Solo. If only for 10 minutes.
- Start a coincidence journal. Each time something small and surprising happens outdoors, jot it down. Patterns will emerge. Our brains are wired to spot patterns for survival. Was it a predator or the wind making the rustle in the grasses? Pay attention. We may not be running from the wild boar, but our brains are still trying to tell us things on a primal level.
- Use your camera slowly. As a photographer, you already know the power of framing the world. Use your lens to notice, not just document. Intentionally photograph slowly. See something that sparks interest? Look a little more closely. Frame it differently-several times. See what shows up.
- Ask a question before your walk. Let nature “respond” in its own way. What shows up may surprise you. You can focus on the question, or not. Sometimes its better to let the brain work out seemingly random connections. Sometimes the other way around.
Let the Earth Interrupt You
In the end, nature doesn’t need to be loud to be transformative. Sometimes, the most healing thing it offers is the pause—a breath between the noise, a small crack in your mental routine where light can get in.
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
— John Muir
So the next time you feel lost, burned out, or unsure, go outside and walk slowly. Look for what catches your attention, even if it seems silly. Let the coincidence be the doorway—and walk through.
Rediscover what matters through nature
Feeling Overwhelmed or craving stillness? At Finding Nature’s Beauty, we create space to breathe, reflect and reconnect –with yourself and the world around you. Reflections, our newsletter, is designed to help you find calmness and clarity from the stress of everyday living by providing weekly inspiration, stories, and actionable ideas to guide you.