View of the Hudson from Little Stony Point, Cold Spring, NY
I've been slacking off on the blog posts recently, which is not like me for January. Usually, this is when I have more time for things like blogging and research. Well, so much for that! Still, it's time to get back to it, and what better way than starting a series of posts that I have to finish?
So, this is the first of several posts on "surviving the winter" by staying connected with nature. Now, if you're in Australia or Hawaii or Palm Springs or somewhere else I'd like to be right about now, then never you mind. But for many of us around the world, winter means darkness, and cold, and dormant plants, and a certain amount of cabin fever. So how do we combat that and learn to embrace this time of year? For today, I'll start with something relatively simple and yet incredibly important:
Go outside and play! Sure, the weather outside is frightful, or at least none too inviting. But that's what boots and warm coats and mittens are for. It's a sad irony (or perhaps just dumb logic) that at the time of the year when we need to be outside and active the most, leaving the house is just not that attractive a proposition. Our bodies need Vitamin D (which the sun so generously provides), exercise, and fresh air to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. And we also need to maintain our deep connection to nature even when the ground is frozen and there aren't any roses to stop and smell.
So bundle up and get out there: Go for a walk or a jog; dust off those skis and skates and snowshoes and galoshes; build a snowman; jump in the puddles. What do you get in return? I'll talk more about the specifics in the next post. In the meantime, get off the computer and get outside!
And here's an invitation for when you get back on the computer: What do you do in the winter to stay healthy and connected to nature? Share your ideas with others by leaving a comment here or on our Facebook page.
5 comments:
I have to go out everyday.I feel pent up if I don't. I wrap up and go for a walk. Its good if cold but the sun is out! We have had so much bad weather here, sometimes impossible, but one thing is going out in the rain, which we have had lots of. I don't go out then.
Back country ski, snowshoe and I go running if it is not too dark, icy and or cold. That is a beautiful photograph.
I agree about the photograph, and I think the trick to getting outside is to just get yourself out the door.
Even if I don't have the time and energy to be outside for long, it still refreshes my spirit to go out for a bit and closely observe just one plant or wild animal.
Thanks for the great comments! I incorporated some of these into the Part II post, and will probably incorporate some more into the next one or two.
Getting outdoors every day helps pass the winter. The only problem we encounter here is that the temperatures can drop to the point where being outdoors for more than a few minutes is not a good idea. What many people here to is go to the city gym and track. It's a great meeting place and a way for us to avoid falling on ice and climbing big snowbanks. It's better than being housebound for many elderly and disabled persons, including me.
Post a Comment