And in the wild, breathing the thinning air, is where I found myself at peace.
When life gets too stressful, I go to nature. Even if it's just for a walk around the block or a trip to the dog park until dusk, those moments away from screens and closer to the world's beating heart rekindle my wick.
In my few years out west, that meant finding a mountain trail or exploring forests galore. Most of the time the dog and I were completely alone, listening to nature's various sounds and feeling its air move across skin. Since Nebraska's been without mountains since at least my birth, I've had to readjust my decompressing process.
A few weeks ago, a few family members and I went to Mahoney State Park just to get out. Being outside was important before the pandemic and it's become even more valuable to me since we first quarantined. It was a nice little jaunt, although I was admittedly bummed at some of my surroundings. I wanted to be in nature, isolated and distant, seeing Earth in its most beautiful parts untouched by encroaching humanity. Instead what I saw was frisbee golf courses, gentrified cabins, an ice rink and wedding photos galore. What really sent me over the edge was the signs for lakes and rivers with sponsors names on them. I'll be honest with you, the moment I finally snap is the moment someone says “Let's take a walk around IBM Lake.”
Following a short trail walk around Mahoney, we jumped in my Jeep and rolled over to Schramm, which was more my speed. A nice little loop trail with a suspension bridge, not many other people, well-kept walking trail with signage but still natural.
I'm telling you this because I recommend it. If I were a doctor (which I cannot stress enough, I am not) my prescription pad would simply read “go outside.”
Part of this job requires posting updates to our various Facebook pages. Without those, I'd never visit that site. Because what I see when I do log on to post is a nightmare. Everybody's sharing political memes and videos, and I'm not entirely convinced it's more out of spite and “owning” than actual endorsement or education.
Why? I know some will say “it's my page and I can do what I want with it.” Sure, but that's only if those musings were confined to your page alone. That's not how it is. Before I can get to the newspaper's page I'm figuratively slapped in the face by the latest piece of misinformation that's been allowed to fester because somewhere along the line we've learned that someone who doesn't share our exact views is trying to destroy our country. Worse yet, they're trying to destroy everything that you like and worked for. Can you believe that? Are you going to allow that to happen?
Go outside. Log off and keep your phone on the table. You'd be surprised how much you can benefit from simply walking away and experiencing this world's beauty. It's getting colder, so put on a jacket and stand on a hilltop in silence for two minutes. Just breathe. Take in the air and feel your chest fall with the exhale. Remind yourself that you're here, in this world with the rest of us, and we're all trying to make the most out of this crazy time.
