Spending Time in Nature: A Small Experiment
A few months ago, I made it a personal goal of mine to spend at least one hour outside every day.
I felt a little pathetic having to make it a point to do something so easy and natural, for such a short amount of time every day, but it seems like we get so wrapped up in our work (even if we’re doing work we love), in our laptops (even if we’re excitedly writing our next novel), and in reading books (even if the author has moved you beyond words), that we forget about one of the very things that makes us human: spending time in our natural environment.
Here are a few things I learned during the past few months by spending quality time in nature:
- Driving in the car or sitting in a restaurant while enjoying a great view of a beautiful day does not count as being outside in it.
- It’s surprisingly hard to make the effort. When you’ve been working indoors all day, and realize that the whole ‘hour outside’ thing is going to get in the way of your work ethic, it’s quite the wake up call. Re-prioritize. Life first, work second.
- Taking an hour long walk outside in the morning, or even sitting outside to read for an hour, feels like an eternity (in a good way). If you’d like for time to move more slowly, move your activities outside.
- People are always walking their dogs, and when you’re outside, you get to be amidst the happy pets and pet owners. And whose day isn’t made better when a smiling puppy runs over wagging his tail?
- If it’s a beautiful day, take your laptop to the outside tables at a coffee shop. Read that book outside. Eat your lunch outside. Move your workout outside. There are so many opportunities.
- Spending time in a place that is not enclosed by 4 walls makes you feel human, free, and childlike, more effectively than an hour of almost anything else can.
I encourage you to switch up your days, actually stop to smell the roses, and spend a little more time slowing down the pace of life, by enjoying the natural beauty that’s all around us.
Happy living.