Book excerpt: "The natural world has inspired artists, seekers, and thinkers for millennia, but in recent times, as the pace of life has sped up, its demands have moved us in doors. Yet nature's capacity to lead us to important truths, to invigorate and restore our imagination and equilibrium, is infinite. Step Into Nature is a guide to make nature personal again, to stimulate awareness and increase our understanding of the environment while inspiring readers to develop and strengthen their imaginations. But being in nature doesn't mean flying off to remote, faraway places. Nature is as close as opening your front door--the sky above, the miniature gardens that insist their way up between the sidewalk cracks, the river just down the road. Patrice Vecchione shows readers how nature can support and enhance their own creative output, invigorate their curiosity, and restore their sense of connection to the earth. Plus, included in each chapter is "The Cabinet of Curiosities," exercises and suggestions for practical and unexpected ways that readers can stimulate their imaginations, deepen their relationships with nature, and experience the harmony between creativity and the natural world"--