This past week alhamdulillah I did a lot of travelling through 3 different provinces of Canada - Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. These are called the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Here, for the first time in my life, I traveled by boat to the middle of the Atlantic ocean, Bay of Fundy and other large bodies of water and saw real huge humpback whales and their baby calves. I also spent some time feeding baby cows and horses at a farm.
With school and family life I was really distracted from noticing and appreciating Allah's creation. It was my own loss as I was contentiously making myself stressed out with responsibilities. Studying and taking care of people is important but the satisfaction and calm one gets from going into the ocean and seeing Allah's creation: lunging, diving, blowing and breeching is rewarding in itself.
From this experience I learned that we, urban laptop and cellphone jockeys should take time out to hang out in the woods or at the beach and inhale the sassy scents of nature; bathe in greenery and fresh waters. Just like Islamic knowledge is necessary for intellectual growth, picnicking, hiking, scuba diving is necessary for spiritual happiness. I think people from all cultures and religions take time out to unwind in nature expect Muslims. We choose to remain glued to screens thinking reading articles and listening to lectures will make our emaan strong when in fact this very overload of information is actually making us anxious, depressed and apathetic to the world around us. Seeing nature can cure our Taqwa deficit, reasoning disabilities and writing blocks.
Allah created this world for our use - we eat from its produce, seek shelter in its shade, make clothes and tools from its resources. However, Allah made our planet especially scenic and pleasing as a mercy for the believers so we can be awe inspired and a result, come closer to Him and become more obedient. When I came so close to the whales that I could look at them in the eyes; when I saw seals and sea birds frolic on the shore rocks, my heart became a fountainhead for love for Allah. I didn't see Allah from a fiqh perspective or Arabic grammatical interpretation but I got to love Him for the marvels of His creation. Nature helped me change my heart, focus on the vastness of the earth, the sea and the sky made by Allah instead of the narrowness of my problems and my fatigues. Nature helped purify my thoughts, overcome my negativity and disappointments. 
Of course, the fresh air, fresh foods and physical exercise is good for health. At the same time, nature and sight seeing also helps cope with reality; we feel comfortable in natural environments. So whenever we get a chance, we should break free from the wires, escape the arguments and try nature therapy: ride a boat, chase a butterfly, hear the echoes of a whale. The sunset and the rain is Allah's treatment for the overworked. I really recommend the outdoors to everyone. The Prophet (s.a.w) frequently took the companions (r.a) on swimming excursions, horseback riding tours and for camping in the desert. They farmed, slept under trees. Their lives close to nature made them not only physically fit but also strong of mind and emotionally at peace. There is something more serene in skipping rocks in the Bay of Fundy than in sending text messages. Living naturally made them soft and people of humility. They experienced Allah's tremendous ingenuity and power everyday and recognized their intrinsic helplessness in comparison. Ponds, trees, biodiversity yield the biggest bang in the brain - makes us happy and appreciative of Allah's blessings. For this reason I think vacations are a great idea. You don't have to go anywhere far, try exploring your own community or neighbouring provinces - splash your hands in the ocean, run them over a willow tree.
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