The Nature Instinct, by Tristan Gooley

Great tips for beginning to put pieces together in observing nature. The middle bogged down a bit, but the first half I found very doable and practical in terms of beginning to retrain ourselves to be perceptive and make connections automatically.

Using the same technique that Malcolm Gladwell calls “thin-slicing,” Gooley walks through the process of making connections—first of all slowly, then more automatically as we spend time practicing. He calls this slow and fast thinking. He provides some simple places to start for those who want to know what to look for to discover “pairs” of things that create meaning, as well as what that meaning is. The first part of the book was, I believe, more practical and effective in terms of what people might run into most frequently. The sections that dealt with animal behavior may be more or less accessible, depending on where readers live and what wildlife they may be able to see. Birds are fairly universal, but Gooley discussed some animals that are definitely more woodsy or rural, so may not be as commonly observable.

Personally, I am going to try to start noting wind direction, growth trends in trees, and listening for bird sounds to see if I can begin to pair it with behavior. But I also learned that I am definitely not a very “lizard-brained” person, so it will take me awhile to adjust to fast-thinking these connections.