Agent of the Wild
August Newsletter
Modern Day RESET Button
God Beams | Del Norte County, California
The Modern Day RESET Button
Forgetting the natural world for the digital world is all too common, and people can sometimes find calm in the digital storm of the internet, but at what cost?
We’ve gotten so used to living in the hum of screens and with the sounds of notifications that many have forgotten what real calm feels like. Finding that soothing feeling that nature can provide reminds me of being able to start over and it’s almost like pressing a button to begin again. It’s not unlike a RESET button. For me, the idea of a RESET button goes back to the days of Radio Shack, when my generation’s first real “reset” was a small grey button on the original Nintendo. Push it, and everything started fresh.
Experiencing Nature works the same way. Its RESET button is universal. Step into the Wild and your body will hit the that button before you even realize what has happened. It’s a quiet revival, the kind that happens without fanfare but changes everything. Many people have discovered this truth, and I bet you can name a few yourself. Here’s my own short list of people who’ve shown the power of Nature and its capability to RESET.
Marty Stouffer – Television host from the ’70s and ’80s who created Wild America. Think of him as an American version of David Attenborough.
John Muir – A naturalist who used his time in Yosemite to reflect on the purpose and beauty of nature. A writer, policy maker, and the man responsible for the National Park System in the U.S.
Wim Hof – A man who defied the so-called limits of the human body. His holistic healing program involves direct exposure to nature’s elements and shows how that exposure can unleash the body’s potential. He even climbed Mt. Everest wearing only shorts—not mountain-climbing gear.
Crater Lake | Klamath County, Oregon
These men are outliers, but also some of the best teachers of how nature’s effect is not only universal, but essential. They show that it is a healing resource anyone can experience. All three of these men have inspired me personally—they reached into the vastness of the world and found answers in the wild.
So what am I getting at? Let me show you.
Recently, I re-injured my back badly. I could barely walk, and when I did—it didn’t look right. I have severe lower back issues, and they’re the catalyst for this story. I hurt myself again in April trying to have fun by playing softball with a friend. That’s what I get for trying to feel young again.
This injury had me barely walking for a few weeks, and walking with difficulty for nine weeks. That meant nature deprivation—and let me tell you something important: the healing I was used to from the wild was no longer accessible. I had to stay diligent and heal at home, slowly rebuilding through physical therapy once I’d made enough progress to move without extreme pain.
I couldn’t go for walks, photo trips, hikes—none of it. Injury has a way of creating two forms of debilitation: physical and mental.
Brothers | Del Norte County, California
Not being able to listen to the songs of animals, breathe the air beside a waterfall, or feel the brisk winds at the top of a mountain—these are the signals that trigger that RESET button in me. They may not be the same pieces of nature’s puzzle for everyone. Some may love the serenity of a pond or the songs of birds on summer mornings. But all of these moments RESET us like the button on a computer or the keys to a car.
Each piece affects the body in ways that improve breathing, heart rate, and hormone balance. We are tied to this land more than we know. That’s why those three men I mentioned earlier each represent a different piece of the whole story:
Marty Stouffer lived to capture life and change in the wild, bringing us stories that allowed his viewers a taste of serenity.
John Muir was drawn to awe, beauty, and grandeur, and fought to protect special wild places so others could RESET in these beautiful places.
Wim Hof sought out nature’s harshness and discovered how it could unlock the body’s healing properties resetting the physical as much as the mental.
Each of them carries a different torch of knowledge from the wild—knowledge that can inspire us to get outside, inhale the air, and press that RESET button built into all of us. Climb the mountain, watch the animals, soak up the vast views, and embrace the climate to understand the nuance of change.
Injury pulled all of that away from me. But the memory stayed alive, and the hope of returning to the wild pushed me onward. I started physical therapy, worked through the pain, and used a tiny piece of nature to help heal my body and stabilize my soul.
I began walking outside slowly in my yard. I live on a hillside, so I could vary my movements—walking uphill, level, and downhill—each one strengthening my body in a different way. Every day, one step better, moving toward that reward of going back out to experience the wild and inspire others to do the same.
So feel blessed if you can get out in nature to feel the winds, smell the hint of sweetness in air, and feel the goosebumps created by the temperature changes. Your body will RESET before you know it and that calm you will feel, that’s the universal button I was talking about. Feel blessed that you can get out, because not everyone can.
It’s not the setbacks that rule our lives—it’s the willpower we have to keep moving and thriving that determine our positions. Pressing that universal RESET button by going outside your door will change you—and maybe change more than just your view.
Thank You for Subscribing
What ways do you RESET? What are your favorite locations for that universal feeling? Be sure to reply to this email and share it with someone. Post my website on Facebook or forward the newsletter to a friend to sign up. I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for being part of Agent of the Wild.
Property is just as much about people as it is the raw wild that defines it.
If you’re looking to buy or sell, and you want someone who understands that this isn’t just about property—it’s about people, I’m here. Let’s talk.
Sincerely,
Dan Amos (Agent of the Wild)
