Have you tried taking a walk outside?
Pollen isn't going to stop me this spring.
Hi, from… forever ago. I know that I need to start writing more. And the truth is, I want to. But something is stopping me from going back to this Substack.
And now I know why. It’s because I make it too hard to start writing. My posts feel more like writing an article to me. They feel like work. I like writing articles, but sometimes I just want to take a step back and let my emotional side come to play. In other words, I want to write more personal essays.
So that’s what I’m going to do. Change the style of this newsletter from less-article-ly (is this a word?) to more personal. No more news links, no more trying too hard to sound overly professional. Just me, my voice, and my biased opinions.
Nature is cool nowadays
Have you ever heard the phrase, “cool kids go out in nature?” I haven’t either, because that’s not a thing. But now I’m hearing so many people my age talk about how they’re going out on walks, hiking, and just seeing what’s out there in nature- which is amazing.
I know from my experience that when I go out in nature, I’m more relaxed. I feel better about myself, and it’s refreshing to finally get out of my motel-esque apartment complex and enjoy a cool breeze.
The other day, I decided to take a much-needed day off work and go out exploring. With a friend, we drove 20 minutes to a wildlife swamp refuge home to ducks, alligators, trout, egrets, and other kinds of birds.
I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “swamp” I think of a cesspool of sludge and decay. But this refuge was beautiful.
When we drove past the entrance, the lake was literally shining, reflecting the sun’s rays to show glossy, sparkling waters below a stunning blue sky.
It was a perfect day- warm but not too warm, with a breeze going. We were surrounded by black gum, dogwood, cottonwood, and cypress trees below and above the lake’s bank. (if you don’t go outside and have no idea what these types of trees are, that’s okay, because I didn’t know either).
I never considered myself a “nature” kind of gal. I grew up in a forest. Not beside a forest, inside of a forest. Meaning that at night my family and I would hear owls hoot, coyote wailing, deer crossing our yard, and possums outside our window nibbling at our garbage.
For a long time, though, I was a nature gal. I sat outside for hours as a child, collecting rocks as a hobby (because apparently that’s what you do when you live out in the woods with no Netflix.)
As I got older, I was more of a homebody. I stayed inside, away from the intense summer heat, and watched TV or played video games. I saw the same backyard every day. Why would I need to go back outside and see it again?
The value of nature
Now, as an old (ish) person, I know the beauty of nature. And I miss it. I miss that privilege of being able to step outside, lay down on the grass (oh god, I miss grass), and look up at the clouds while the sun beamed on me. Or seeing just how many stars are in the sky, like tiny white specks on a beach that goes on for miles and miles. I forgot how lucky I was to live in that place, that moment where I felt like everything could stay still for one minute.
When I went with my friend to the refuge, I was reminded of how much nature was a resource for me to refill my cup.
My friend and I decided to walk a long trail deep into the woods, and I loved every moment of it. As her Maltese and Jack Terrier hopped along in front of her, I walked behind and breathed in every moment of what I was seeing. The devil’s walking sticks (aka long, bare trees), sassafras, and pine trees combed around us while I enjoyed the thick, lush leaves swaying by the trail like vines.
When we got back home, my friend admitted that she thought we were lost because of how dense the woods were getting along the trail.
“You didn’t think we were lost?” she said.
No, I thought. Honestly, I felt right at home.