We are in a time of uncertainty and fear. Each day we awake to new news about the number of increased cases of COVID-19 and we wonder how we will be affected. I know my biggest fear right now is becoming infected with the virus and passing it along to my aging parents. I am worried about my children, but in light of much of the news coverage on the disease I feel some sort of solace that if they become infected they will weather the storm well. I am also a teacher, and I am anxious for my students, many of whom stay with their grandparents and may have endless hours alone in the days, weeks and possibly months ahead. I am also worried about their education. Our district is not set up for online learning and a large portion of our students do not have access to a device or the Internet.
With all the thoughts and questions swirling in my head I look to nature to find a sense of calm. We are cooped up inside our homes with limited space (we live in a small house and not everyone has a separate bedroom) and at times we seem to get on top of each other. This is especially true when making snacks in the kitchen or reciting the newest accomplishment in Minecraft. When anxiety runs high and space is limited I gravitate outdoors. I am not a naturalist, by any means, although I wish I was (hence my fascination with being a nature novice), but I do know I always feel better once I have been outside for some time. There are lots of suggestions of how much nature or outside time we should endure for maximum benefit, but most recent studies suggest that we need just two hours a week! So, knowing my mind will be put at easy I gather up my kids and off we go.
We have been to three different parks this week and at each one we noticed that there are many more people out than we normally see during our weekly nature outings. Everyone is feeling a higher level of anxiety and stress and are craving being outside as much as we are. I say we, because my kids do crave it, they just don’t necessarily consciously know it. The first day we wandered in some less travelled parts of a local Metropark. During the first five minutes they moaned and complained, because it was a bit chilly and they they were comfy at home curled up on the couch watching videos. Within the next five minutes they were running, exploring through mud and thorns. Smiles grew on their faces, then turned into serious expressions as they concentrated trying to climb on high tree stumps and balance on decaying logs. They were taking calculated and appropriate risks. They were laughing, screeching and generally having a blast racing with Noel, our beautiful and jolly black Lab.
On the second day, our park adventure took us to a local city park where cars can be heard and the path is asphalt instead of dirt. The first lap around the park all three of my children fought. They were so mean to each other that they all separated and went different directions back to the car. When I got to the car I picked them all up and told them we were going around one more time. As we started our second turn through the park they began noticing the little things; the berries on the ground, tracks in the mud, how some parts of the grass were greener than others and they began to wonder when the neutral shades of late winter will turn to a vibrant spring. By the time we reached the car again everyone had settled in and found something to connect to, a little deeper sense of peace in their hearts.
Our third day found us at another city park that is a little more rustic. We frequent this park because of it’s wooded overhang around the edge of a life filled lake. It began to rain as we started out, but we came prepared with raincoats and lots of towels in the car to dry off on afterwards. Gabriel conquered a very high tree stump. We were all victorious in ascending a mountain of wood chips, yes, even me. As I climbed I was reminded about a previous post I wrote about the importance of risk-taking. When my kids asked me to come to the pile with them my first response was no, but they persisted and I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone. I was pleasantly surprised at how empowered I felt arriving at the top. And even as I half walked half slid on my way down I felt pride. Gabriel and Sylvia leaped and ran around on the top of the mountain for at least 40 minutes while I videoed and inspected all that was around me on the bottom. Noel spent her time running up and down from the kids to me splashing mud and getting covered in dirt and wood chips.
As we made our way back to the car, toweled off as best we could, turned the heat up and drove home a sense of calm embodied us all. Pulling into the driveway everyone hopped out, shed their filthy pants, coats and shoes in the garage and rushed to put on cozy clothes while waiting for dinner to be served.
We all had such fun our day adventures that for those hours we forgot all that was happening in the world.
Nature Novice 