Let's take a walk.

In which John goes on a walk to try to calm himself, and is reminded that we are really here, alive on the Earth, under trees. Thanks for walking with me.
Work quoted in this video:
1. "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard. If you haven't read this book, you must read it.
2. "Swimming Studies" by Leanne Shapton. Also excellent!
3. "Lines Written in Early Spring" by William Wordsworth: www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
4. "Spring Song" by Lucille Clifton: www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
----
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And join the community at nerdfighteria.com effyeahnerdfighters.com
Help transcribe videos - nerdfighteria.info
John's twitter - / johngreen
Hank's twitter - / hankgreen
Hank's tumblr - / edwardspoonhands
Listen to The Anthropocene Reviewed at www.theanthropocenereviewed.org
Listen to Dear Hank and John at www.dearhankandjohn.org

[@vlogbrothers]

Hi. I hope this video is calming for you. If it is, and you know someone who might benefit from four minutes of calm, please pass it along to them. Also, if you're looking for more ways to be calm and engaged with the world, I really recommend Sarah's book, You Are An Artist, which comes out April 14th: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/601958/you-are-an-artist-by-sarah-urist-green/ Also, here is the stuff I quoted today: 1. "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard. If you haven't read this book, you must read it. 2. "Swimming Studies" by Leanne Shapton. Also excellent! 3. "Lines Written in Early Spring" by William Wordsworth: www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51001/lines-written-in-early-spring 4. "Spring Song" by Lucille Clifton: www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54587/spring-song-56d2351b45223 -John

[@aislinking5806]

Thank you

[@3amdr3am]

I do actually feel calmer .

[@TheTravelVal]

So excited for Sarah's book!! Pre-ordered it months ago! 🎉

[@ericafurgiuele1105]

John, my goal is to come out of lockdown as well-read as you.

[@emsingleton484]

thank you

[@ohrwein7154]

It´s funny how humans are the most stressed they have been in decades, while nature is super chill, like: I might form a little creek today

[@vlogbrothers]

Yeah, one of the things that's really nice about going outside right now--if you safely can--is that nature is still just doing its usual stuff as its usual pace. -John

[@ZunarZulfiqar]

@@vlogbrothers I find it comforting in an otherwise chaotic, disagreeable world. Nature isn't influenced by our notions; instead, it's independent. It does its thing at it it's own place whether we're watching or not. Its alive, but not human. Thought provoking, without ever asking a question. It listens and doesn't fight back. Nature is something humans don't have a hand in. That to me is why I appreciate being alive and being able to go meet it. I appreciate even the smallest things life has on it platter.

[@bibliofowl]

@@vlogbrothers In Los Angeles it's doing what it's wanted to do for a while now: Clearing the air. All my life looking into the distance there was always a layer of smog. It's gone now and I wish it didn't come back..

[@kayisfish]

Love this comment

[@bowiz2]

@@vlogbrothers There have been wild boars walking the streets again, them and their young, just nonchalant like our city isn't there.

[@thatotherguy27]

John: Let's listen to this stream Hank: We're gonna search this stream for MICROBES

[@vlogbrothers]

No shortage of microbes in the White River. One of America's dirtiest! :) -John

[@AaronSherman]

Me: I should go outside.

[@lunaargentum1743]

shouldn't John be the one looking for microbes?

[@ssatva]

@@lunaargentum1743 Oddly, 'watching out for' and 'looking for' are close to opposite ideas...

[@Sara-vn2kz]

@@lunaargentum1743 no, my friend. John is the one avoiding them. Hank is that feller with the microscope in his hand and eccentric gleam in his eye.

[@biancar5763]

we're here because we're here because we're here. because we're here.

[@Dancincoffeebean]

Bianca R I was thinking this to myself too. We’re here because we’re here because we’re here

[@shellh929]

we're here because we're here because we're here because we're here +

[@carlos_hb]

Because we're here Because we're here

[@mahnamahna3252]

We're here because we're here We're here because we're here We're here because we're here

[@zolacnomiko]

+++ we're here because we're here because we're here because we're here

[@anneclinton2928]

In the last episode of Dear Hank and John, you talked about being acutely aware that your work is non-essential, and while that's true in a sense, I think work that focuses on contemplation and care for one another has never been more essential. Thank you for this and for all you do; it really does make a difference.

[@vlogbrothers]

Thanks, Anne. That really means a lot to me. -John

[@jrpstonecarver]

@@vlogbrothers Essential doesn't begin to describe it. Your work is critical. Thank you for all you do!

[@kayisfish]

+

[@harrycarter3781]

+

[@RemizZ]

+

[@cadamwil]

"I know the feeling won't last, nothing does, but I am grateful for it anyway" That's a poetic summation of our existence. I always enjoy these videos, thanks for your words and sharing.

[@LadyCynthiana]

I've been feeling a lot of gratitude for the current moments now when the future feels so uncertain.

[@radagastwiz]

Some people find comfort in ASMR, or white noise. For me, it's John's Thoughts from Places.

[@maryrabelo.s.wagner8346]

Same here. :)

[@joannaintawa]

Same. They never fail to help me calm down and breathe, even if just for a moment

[@sexyscientist]

+

[@someone3821]

+

[@caprafan]

+

[@EarthSwinging]

John: "Now that I'm feeling a little calmer, it's easier to have thoughts? If that makes sense?" Me, also an anxious person, out loud: "YES."

[@GweenPenguin]

+

[@moncielvariable]

YES! +

[@Px828]

Absolutely yes.

[@saniyapaliwal1454]

+

[@babsb9889]

I wish I could give this a hundred thumbs up. Because that is one of the things bothering me the most--the only thoughts I seem to be having are chaotic ones and ones that make me always be on high alert.

[@EbyKat]

I sometimes get a moment of calm by simply stroking my old, small dog’s head and watching his eyes close with comfort and happiness.

[@bandvidoes1148]

This is beautiful

[@ncskitty]

This made me cry. My dog is my lifeline right now.

[@FellowLee]

Hamster snuffles.

[@anderstaylor6694]

+

[@EbyKat]

Naomi S I can highly recommend the Can I Pet Your Dog podcast and the FB group. They are my version of the Nerdfighter community.

[@calebcapps7181]

This is the breath of fresh air we all need during this stressful time

[@robodragoman]

John should narrate a nature doc.

[@vlogbrothers]

I feel like Hank's microcosmos voice is PERFECT nature doc stuff. But I'm trying to get better! -John

[@professorthread]

@@vlogbrothers So long as you can pronounce penguin you'll be alright

[@movingforwardLDTH]

vlogbrothers , John, respectfully, your voice is *wonderfully* soothing, especially when you relax into it. Your recent readings have been a refuge for me, both in the deliciousness of the story/characters and in the reassuring sound of your voice. I want to get some of your books in audio format but, tbh, right now my body physically cringes at the idea of listening to something where somebody dies....and I have a vague awareness that that is the case in at least one of your books (Fault, maybe? Sorry, life got in the way of a lot over the 2 decades or so.) Are any of your books death-free? (I hope to soon have the emotional wherewithal to experience the beauty of stories that may include death. I’m just not there right now.) ❤️

[@petrathorsty3833]

Can you imagine Hank narrating one in his normal, excitable voice. 'THIS IS SO COOL! HAVE YOU SEEN THIS TREE?! ITS ABOUT 6 HANKS PUT TOGETHER!'

[@joshuachappell7370]

@@petrathorsty3833/videos I really want to hear this now.

[@TotallyRedonkulous]

The sound of spring, of water burbling and birds returning, reminds me that time will go on. Things will change, and all bad things will come to an end.

[@maryrabelo.s.wagner8346]

❤️

[@randomguy263]

And then new bad things will come. But I guess those too will come to an end.

[@Isa.isa.isa.]

“And my omnidirectional anxiety is often overwhelming” Yeah, me too.

[@khaxjc1]

Isa I heard him say that and felt hit by a sense of understanding. I don't think I've ever heard a description of anxiety I could empathize with more.

[@SolaceEasy]

So, I go for a walk because it has a hard time keeping up with me.

[@tomnorman6165]

This is the most "John" video John has ever done

[@krissymillard1823]

Ok, who else cried a little watching this?

[@viviantompkins7925]

Krissy M 🙋🏽‍♀️

[@Cat_in_Spacetime]

I still didn't watch it completely.

[@Cat_in_Spacetime]

nor did I cry. :\

[@ashleymariedavisad]

Standing in my yard under my own bare branched trees listening to the birds and my daughter playing near by I looked up to the sky took a deep cleansing breath and shed a few tears... John can always manage to say exactly what it is that I'm feeling

[@lindortruffle]

Just a little

[@jcoogs7149]

John looking at anything: This reminds me of a poem

[@annaconway4884]

When John name drops all the writers he can fit in but makes you feel so calm and separated from the craziness of the world we live in. Thanks for another awesome video

[@maryrabelo.s.wagner8346]

Sounds, silence, colors, smells, flavors... Suddenly, we become spectators of our own existence. Welcome to Earth, humans! Where every tiny detail provides us a real spectacle. If you allow it, of course. Thanks for the content, John! Take care. ❤️

[@timesiick]

i really, desperately needed this today. i'm a high school student who suffers from extreme anxiety, and i just found out my school has been indefinitely closed. there is no better time this could have come. thank you, john, for all you do. it's highly appreciated.

[@vlogbrothers]

Sorry you're going through such a hard time. I'm glad this could help a bit. This WILL end. We will get through it. But I'm really sorry it is causing such a huge disruption in your life. -John

[@michaellyden2580]

"It often comforts me to think that even in war's darkest days, in most places in the world.... ....Absolutely Nothing is Happening." -Brynden 'Blackfish' Tully.

[@connierobinson1090]

Michael Lyden +

[@claremurphy5901]

+

[@chelseamauldin9779]

I think the idea of “not feeling calm, but calmer” is super important right now. If you are feeling an uncomfortable emotion, it isn’t futile or pointless to work towards feeling less of that emotion. For me, when I am stressed, if there isn’t a clear path forward in which I can go from stressed to not stressed at all, I don’t want to deal with it, or I don’t know how. Right now, when there really isn’t a way to feel no stress at all, I need to remember there is value in taking steps to feel less stressed, even if I can’t completely get rid of the feeling. This was really a beautiful video, and it was exactly what I needed today.

[@TheHudhornet]

This was beautiful. I'm waiting for a John Green guided meditation channel.

[@maryrabelo.s.wagner8346]

Yes!!!!

[@booked_by_books]

Maybe a P4A perk

[@raquelalmeida9002]

I'd FINALLY start meditation with that..

[@bertusvanheerden]

Now that could be a million dollar idea!

[@Barblooms]

The Hudhornet My thought exact,y!

[@ravencloud7]

I could have listened to this for an hour johns voice is a mixture of calm and knowledge

[@noahcamuso2562]

You should definitely listen to the anthroposcene reviewed!

[@kimhoffman2269]

I loved climbing trees as a kid because it made me feel alive. To feel the rough bark under my palms as I pulled myself up made me feel happy. And the breeze through my hair once I got to my destination felt like freedom. But I could never climb too high as I have always been afraid of heights lol. But I enjoyed my time in the trees because it felt like the world was empty of strife, it was only me.

[@ariannawright7586]

+

[@anniesoernym]

+

[@scpg142]

This is such a beautiful sentiment

[@emsingleton484]

(and knowing my parents were too large to climb after and myself too shrouded by the tangled branches to be reached, too high up to be stopped)

[@maike__-]

This reminds me of the older video of you on a walk in the forest where almost everything we could hear was the rain and other sounds of nature... "it's easier to have thoughts" is a good sentence. "the future is possible" is also a good sentence. We are really here

[@FairMiles]

"I give Indiana outdoors during quarantine four and a half stars"

[@biancar5763]

Fair Miles This comment made me laugh!! Imagine this in podcast-length?? pure gold

[@aalin5701]

The scent of honeysuckle is one of the things that makes me feel calmer. I live in England where it's native, and in the late spring the air is heady with it. My mum told me it was her mother's favourite flower. My mum's dad would grow them, and pluck the first little flower her saw for my grandma Morag hoping it would make her smile her beautiful smile, as she made him smile. Both my mum's parents had died before I was born. But when I smell the honeysuckle it makes me feel connected to the grandma I never got to meet, and then I think about everyone else who's ever stopped to smell a flower and how absurd it is to just like a smell, and how human it is.

[@soficaso]

that was beautiful.

[@aalin5701]

@@soficaso thank you. It's good to find ways to feel connected, now more than ever

[@claremurphy5901]

+

[@noahmartin2130]

Nobody: John: That reminds me of a poem I read

[@danieljgore1]

This got me breathing deeply as I fight bronchitis (and asthma- damned asthma!) and hope it ISN’T the thing whose name I don’t even want to speak.

[@vlogbrothers]

Sorry to hear you're not well. Rest up, take good care, and I hope you feel better soon. -John

[@hristiyanamitev]

Are you feeling better? Sending you warm hugs and a huge smile!

[@raquelalmeida9002]

Are you ok? Sending love...

[@Margaretfogs]

Happy to be among hundreds of comments saying "I needed this". Thanks, John. We all needed this.

[@julianemendes3068]

John, I think that is good to remind that WE are really here.

[@suki426]

Peaceful thoughts from places is exactly what I need.

[@janki5382]

I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks by the end of this video. Thank you for making me see and feel the things I'm unable to right now and seem to have forgotten in these turbulent times. John green, you have changed the way I look at this world. Through your crash course world history and literally every video of yours that I've seen. Really, thank you. And keep doing what you are doing. You are inspiring people across continents and generations Love, from India.

[@JoeyKlu]

[@kaitlynnwalsh1356]

This is calming. I love John's walking videos. We're here because we're here. because we're here. because we're here.

[@Kate-bu8qj]

This reminds me a lot of "Poem of the One World," by Mary Oliver. Nature is strong and so are we. Thanks, John.

[@ThatWouldBeCareless]

I have taken lots of pictures of the sky through trees in my life, often when I drag my very anxious, barely functional self out of the house to breathe real air. When I first heard you talk about this - or did I read it first? - I went straight outside and did it again. I'm glad you get that looking up feeling too. It's a good one, even when good ones are hard to come by.

[@SamFlintHere]

I’m not sure if I’ve heard a more hopeful line in recent memory than the idea “every flower enjoys the air it breathes”

[@tiaalex]

at 1:20 my mum on just hearing the audio: "IS HE PEEING!!?"

[@mistierr]

I went into the woods for the first time in probably four years yesterday. There's a trail by my house that leads to a big empty clearing. I hadn't been there in a long, long time and feared the grass had grown over and it would be inaccessible since the man who owned the property passed away years ago. It was the same as I remembered: calm and quiet in the most comforting way. The sun wasn't out yesterday, but it felt like it was. We can't do much right now, but there's a whole world to discover, even if we have to do it alone.

[@hannahwaterman2679]

mistier the phrase “the sun wasn’t out yesterday, but it felt like it was” was one of the most beautiful things i’ve read in a while. thank you.

[@mistierr]

@@hannahwaterman2679 thank you Hannah!

[@old-moose]

Thanks John. I really needed that. I grew up in the mountains of Montana and the forests and hills of Oregon. After school I would "head for the hills" to walk, climb, look, feel and listen. My favorite spots were always next to small a small stream. I would sit for hours listening to the birds, wind and water. I would feel the wind and sun or rain on my skin, and if it was hot the stream running over my feet. I did this so often all sorts animals started getting used to me. Once a doe lead her fawn came to drink from the stream just a few feet from where I sat. I could have reached out and touched them. I had forgotten that quiet, peaceful, bliss. You brought it all flooding back, thanks.

[@cpottervlog8122]

I missed Thoughts From Places

[@KittyCatThang]

I didn't know I needed this video, and I didn't realize how close I was to crying until the end of it. Thank you.

[@chadibakhta7922]

As someone who is struggling with anxiety, looking up to the sky is often calming, it reminds me that I am in one of multiple planets, orbiting one of hundreds of billions of stars, that's part of one of hundreds of billions of galaxies. It makes me feel so small, but it makes my concerns also feel, even temporarily, small. Thank you John #DFTBA

[@maryrabelo.s.wagner8346]

❤️

[@AutomaticallyProblematic]

Thank you for this John, I think we all needed this in the middle of all this madness ❤️.

[@Rosalie_Jansen]

This made me sad in the best way. As if my heart broke, but the crack allowed the built up pressure to be released. I feel calmer now. Thank you John.

[@hazelthebard5372]

Rosalie Jansen this is beautiful. Thank you. I’m going to remember this for a long time

[@Rosalie_Jansen]

@@hazelthebard5372 Very happy to hear that :) I hope you have a lovely day

[@finneganjohn3249]

I know exactly what you mean :o well put

[@acorn_woman]

I've been listening to Dear Hank and John on my morning walks and it really helps me feel a sense of calm. Thank you❤

[@claremurphy5901]

I do too. Them just joking around brings me too a different headspace that I often need.

[@iamgerg]

"I am sitting under a sycamore by Tinker Creek. I am really here, alive on the intricate earth under trees. But under me, directly under the weight of my body on the grass, are other creatures, just as real, for whom also this moment, this tree, is “it”… in the top inch of soil, biologists found “an average of 1,356 living creatures in each square foot… I might as well include these creatures in this moment, as best as I can. My ignoring them won’t strip them of their reality, and admitting them, one by one, into my consciousness might heighten mine, might add their dim awareness to my human consciousness, such as it is, and set up a buzz, a vibration…Hasidism has a tradition that one of man’s purposes is to assist God in the work of “hallowing” the things of Creation. By a tremendous heave of the spirit, the devout man frees the divine sparks trapped in the mute things of time; he uplifts the forms and moments of creation, bearing them aloft into the rare air and hallowing fire in which all clays must shatter and burst." Annie Dillard, The Pilgrim at Tinkers Creek. It's funny how a quote resonates at different frequencies for different people. When I read this, it was the part that goes: " I might as well include these creatures in this moment, as best as I can. My ignoring them won’t strip them of their reality, and admitting them, one by one, into my consciousness might heighten mine..." Which resonated most with me. It is to my thinking, an encompassing of the whole that was important, both the majestic and the miniscule, an existence so large we cannot comprehend it, derived from origins so small we cannot perceive it. Our intricate earth is neither above or below us, but rather we are of it.

[@chai4768]

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is my most favorite book at this moment, and I am so thankful for the reminder of the sycamore tree, and the overflowing wonder of life that it brings. Thank you John, as always, you comfort and complexify my mind.

[@ayoderable]

My heartbeat literally slowed watching this. Thanks John

[@vlogbrothers]

Glad to hear that! -John

[@junedavis397]

And in the immortal words of Louis Armstrong... "What A Wonderful World" I see trees of green Red roses too I see them bloom For me and you And I think to myself What a wonderful world I see skies of blue And clouds of white The bright blessed day The dark sacred night And I think to myself What a wonderful world The colors of the rainbow So pretty in the sky Are also on the faces Of people going by I see friends shaking hands Saying, "How do you do?" They're really saying "I love you" I hear babies cry I watch them grow They'll learn much more Than I'll never know And I think to myself What a wonderful world Yes, I think to myself What a wonderful world Oh yeah

[@junedavis397]

* edit for current events: I see friends washing hands 🥰

[@anikah5262]

I don’t think many people will read this but I just wanted to say this. I haven’t watched anything from you two in a long time. Watching vlogbrothers used to be my comfort in middle and the beginning of high school. Coming back to watch these videos is so comforting during these uncertain times. Thank you for being you John and Hank.

[@pmgreatorex]

It’s morning in Brisbane, Australia, but I’ve just been transported to a quiet corner of the US with John Green. He has gently led me through the woods and spoken beautiful words in a soothing voice. John, you are a calming presence in a chaotic world. Thank you.

[@ellieclayton1953]

John's voice in these honest, nature videos is so calming.

[@annar3817]

ahh that TATWD reference with the branches splitting the sky :) John, I just love your way of thinking

[@blueberry7757]

That branch scene reminds me of the fault in our stars, as John had said : "so much depends upon a blue sky cut open by branches of the trees above"~ I personally do agree that looking up at those branches somehow gives you the awareness of being alive and close to the nature. And this video utterly calmed me and I felt like I'm (really) walking with my favourite author in the world!

[@disha.chawla]

You know what's more comforting than the video itself? It's John talking, putting his thoughts into words. It's almost like he's teaching you how to think, look at things. You're cool, John.

[@shiramelcer8262]

Your walking videos are probably my favorite. They comfort me and also put me in a philosophical state of mind which is welcome these days. It helps me think in a more relaxed tone rather than the regular buzz of anxiety. Thank you, John.

[@carissa-7]

This video reminds me of my all time favorite Vlogbrothers and KZbin video “On Companionable Silence.” Like so many others, I really needed this today. Thanks for sharing your piece of calmness with us.

[@washingtonunibound]

That's one of my favorites, too! I listen to it, weekly. John just has that way of making you feel things you didn't know you needed to feel.

[@carissa-7]

Mistiatmosphere He really does! His words always seem to come at the right time.

[@mskearns56]

You speak for many of us. Thank you for your sincere sharing about your close relationship with Nature. During my worst times in my 30s when the early losses from when I was 3 years old blew wide open, I was faced with "buried alive" anxiety. I was in flight mode. What saved me was Earth and other broken people who knew something about pain - and the empathy the grows within as a survival benefit. And also finding my anger and being given places to safely vent it after 3 decades hidden within. Again and again, I found and continue to find messages of healing in the natural world - a seedling tree growing out of an old burned stump, an owl quietly flying just over my head like a blessing, burbling waters helping me to "breathe underwater" (which is how it felt at its worst). If you haven't heard Peter Mayer's music he's a Minnesotan thus almost your neighbor:). "In college, Mayer studied theology and he was in a Catholic seminary for two years before becoming a folk singer, so it’s maybe no surprise that his music addresses many of the bigger concerns of life." “I’m very interested in what we know about the world - things like the Big Bang, the evolution of the earth and what it all means. That might sound lofty, but I try to make the songs metaphorical and interesting - plus I always do some more fun songs, too.” - Peter Mayer Two songs of his: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZrcoZSLh96msJY. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYOpqaKYrcZopac. Thank you for your heartfelt sharing. - Maria

[@saniyapaliwal1454]

I am glad, rather grateful for this being the first thing I saw in the morning... Here we are stuck in a lockdown for the greater good really! I genuinely needed this.. I needed to realise there is hope... I needed to understand how much beauty there is unseen... I needed to appreciate the little things around me... Most importantly I needed to become a little calmer and not chase the unattainable state of being perfectly calm.. that is exactly what this video did for me Thank you John!

[@mars_girl]

I have been a really anxious person for a lot of my life, in general, but it's definitely been more prevalent these last few weeks. I kept on feeling like every breath I took in the grocery store last week was contaminated and life-threatening, like any moment I would suck in the very thing that would be my demise. I've actually been watching a lot of vlogbrothers videos during this time as a way to lower my stress, but this one has especially helped. There is a future. There is a world. Thanks for letting your respite be ours, too.

[@shinythegardener1731]

'thanks for letting your respite be ours too' is a beautiful sentiment and statement

[@tina.enrightt]

this is so much more interesting than my online zoom classes

[@MrBinthestudio]

I've said it once, and I'll say it again. You often write what I have often felt, but couldn't properly put to words. You are truly gifted - not just as a writer - but as a storyteller.

[@vlogbrothers]

Thanks, Mr. B. Wishing you calm and light in these hard times. -John

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@vlogbrothers Right back atcha! :)

[@washingtonunibound]

Thank you, John. Your words often help me see the world as a more beautiful place, especially when my anxiety can overtake me. Today's walk helped me cry about how hopeless I've been feeling, and has allowed me to see your little piece of calm, and share in that feeling. These are my favorite of your videos and I listen to the others often. Thank you, for sharing with us.

[@patrickcollier7090]

I love the John talks in the woods. Thanks for your calming reassurance during these crazy times.

[@moosethegreatiii8017]

I'm very much having a white river brain kinda day, so thank you, for both the terminology and the under four minute break from it

[@lyadmilo]

I feel a certain particular awe, as when a very old book seems to speak specifically to me, when a very separate person has thoughts I have exactly had. I am blessed to live very near a very big river, and to have a very old dog who still can walk. I too love water on the move. I too feel most alive under trees. I too love most what I can neither live within nor without. Thank you for showing me that my solitudes are not lonely.

[@barkingmad50]

Ah, John. Your beautiful video makes me homesick. Until a couple years ago, and excepting my college days, I had spent my entire life in Indianapolis. I believe I know that path you walked. If it is the one I think it is, I've loved that wooded treasure since I was a girl. I always loved it best in Spring. In a month or so, when it's warmer, children and dogs stomp and splash in that little creek - sending a bit of their simple exuberance on to the White. - Mine. My children's. My grandchildren's. A lifetime of dogs'. We have all sent our joy downstream. It was always a place of peace for me. An urban gem. I miss home. I send a heartfelt, and melancholy, thank you.

[@AlleyWater]

Your rate of speaking reminds me so much of Mr. Rogers.

[@krissymillard1823]

Allison Hoekwater I always think of John as a young Mr. Rogers

[@connierobinson1090]

The same love and the same pastor energy

[@KariiiIzabel]

I needed this so much. I didn't realize how anxious I was until this video calmed me down. Idk if that makes sense... thanks John!

[@ruadhbran]

Thank you, John, for bringing your walk to us today. This is a fantastic moment when a lot of us need one like this.

[@metaphoricallyspectacular3758]

Thank you for this John, for taking us along on your walk. I went on a walk yesterday and admired the newly spring flowers here in Seattle and the clear blue sky. It was helpful to remind myself that the rhythms of the earth keep on going, and we are still alive in the midst of them, even if the way we participate isn't quite the same right now. This video is a reminder to me to keep going outside and walking, that it will make me feel better, even when my depression tells me that it won't and it is too hard. So again, thank you.

[@megs9194]

I needed this today. Thank you

[@dsf8497]

This video is so beautiful and calming. Also high-quality ASMR.

[@JaneDoe-fe5vv]

Way to go on the new KZbin commerical "together". Thank you for reminding everyone there are still lots we can do apart together. Thank you, we can still craft, cook, vlog, paint, create together. What a great reminder.

[@aarya1467]

Thank you so much for this and you're so lucky to have that beautiful path to walk through Lately my room is starting to convert into a prison with contracting walls It feels so calm to look through a window and forget about the pandemic Thanks 🙂

[@juliareste]

the sycamore line really is from turtles all the way down as well. Aza sees a sycamore and recognizes that her father liked it so much and he would take photos of it. I'm rereading it (its my favorite book of yours, john). it brings me comfort even though it is slightly stressful even.

[@myCODchecks]

nice a virtual walk while i am not a allowed to take a walk...

[@vlogbrothers]

That's what I was hoping to provide! -John

[@rummy692]

Thank you for this video, John. In times of turmoil like these, it's nice to have a gentle reminder of how we are here.

[@jocelynrubin1394]

Thank you. I have been in quarantine by over 5 weeks in Italy and just as long since I walked to see the tree branches with Japanese magnolia blooms. I needed a walk like this ❤️

[@xanagreen5638]

Nature seems to be one of the positives right now. Taking a walk with my family, I got to see a type of bird I hadn't seen for ages. The lack of people driving around had drawn them to the area. I went into the woods outside for the first time since I was half a foot shorter than I am. It's a wonderful reminder that some things are stronger than what's happening around us.

[@truehope2344]

I would say this could count as a "thoughts from places" video, it has been a while since you posted one of these. Thanks John, now I'm gonna go and marathon-watch "thoughts from places" videos💜💜💜💜

[@krissymillard1823]

true hope I was so excited when I realized we were getting a Thoughts from Places

[@truehope2344]

Krissy M me too💜💜💜

[@mayasophia512]

John, your vast insight and beautiful speech will never cease to break me down and build me up all at once. Thank you for helping (at least) one human in isolation feel a bit less alone.

[@camillerasor4861]

This has been a really difficult time for me. I've fought for so long against my depression, and in the beginning of this year, I was starting to feel like the conquerer and less like the conquered. I wasn't done fighting yet (nor do I suspect that I will ever be), but breathing was easier and getting up in the morning was easier and putting one foot in front of the other was easier. Now, it feels like the whole world has crashed on me again. I'm sliding SO far back. It feels like the depression is winning. But in the midst of that, you posted this video and it made the fight a little easier for a few minutes. Thank you for that. It's given me a little bit more stamina, and it's exactly what I needed. I hope you are well, as do I hope everyone else in this community is doing well. Here's to continuing the fight and putting one foot in front of the other.

[@axolotl.4078]

This was so much like a guided meditation and it was exactly what I needed in this moment. Thank you John for bring peace where so many others bring chaos and fear.

[@rainliketheweather4086]

I also live in Indiana and it feels like the trees know how we feel.

[@jackieb2853]

John, thank you for being yourself and sharing your thoughts with us. I find a lot of comfort in hearing your experiences. Also, I got a signed copy of your latest book, 5/5. Many people are cheering for you.

[@phoebelambdon7954]

I love spring, in part I think because of that Wordsworth poem. The beginnings of flowers and the soft sounds of familiar birds is one of the most comforting things I ever get to experience. I'm have to stay at home for the next 12 weeks because I have severe asthma and I was really missing the feeling of spring. Thank you for bringing a bit more spring into my drab room and all the comfort it offers.

[@adele4962]

amidst all the talk about quarantine and staying indoors, this video was literally a breath of fresh air! thank you, john :)

[@isabbygabbyorcrabby]

I will return to this when we get told we can no longer go outside for exercise (UK) Thanks for this John

[@grndragon7777777]

I love seeing the sun flicker through the trees. Spring and Autumn always feels fresh and ready for a change.

[@metadolle8925]

Thank you so much for this video. My heart was hammering with anxiety five minutes ago, and while it's still hammering a bit now, I feel much more capable of taking a deep breath and pushing on with today's challenges after watching this. Glad to see you're getting outside and finding calm and poetry in the trees :)

[@emersonmaesmith3808]

I could do with one of these every day, or heck every ten minutes.

[@NearDeath14]

First! (Haven’t done this since 2008)

[@niki3722]

I also love looking at trees from below, everytime I'm on a walk I take a moment and look up maybe take a picture and feel thankful for and wondrous of the world. I feel like writing a poem now.

[@AmeliaBell28]

How timely, I just came back from a walk myself. In recent weeks I've found myself often thinking of a Toni Morrison quote that you introduced me to. "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was." When you started talking about the stream and the White River, I think I was half waiting for you to say that. I'm not even entirely sure why the line has been on my mind so much lately, but it keeps bouncing around in my head. Hopefully I'll remember why at some point in the next few weeks, with the abundance of thinking time I now have, but even if I don't, it's still a pretty great quote to keep remembering. Thanks for another good one, John.

[@rubyangel9707]

"It's easier to have thoughts." I do know what you mean John. I do.

[@SylvieLewa]

Of course John would know how to put the looking-up-at-tree-branches feeling into words. Thank you. 🌳❤

[@deekshas3936]

Around this time last year (end of March/beginning of April), I became a Nerdfighter. It's been a wonderful time in this community. Everybody is really friendly and nice. Through vlogbrothers, I also found out about CrashCourse and SciShow and CC has been quite useful to me in college. The videos on Vlogbrothers are really fun and also insightful to watch (all the inside jokes are epic). Thank you John and Hank for creating this wonderful, beautiful community! You guys also helped me be comfortable with being a nerd (which people are teased about in my college). I wish you guys would tour outside of the United States tho. There are a lot of Nerdfighters in my country! You are really inspirational and have helped a lot of people. You have inspired me to become a better person. Thank you for decreasing world suck. DFTBA! 🙅

[@srbmakeup767]

Thank you John, in this time of chaotic uncertainty your words never cease to help make me calmer. They help bring things to perspective, and help me think rationally. We are in this together, and we will over come. Love from Canada, be well ☺️