It’s always my tradition on Thanksgiving to take a walk in the woods. Whether on our trails at the Camp, or a local park; getting out in the morning and breathing the fresh clean air coupled with a meandering hike (of course with my camera round my neck) is a good way to get some focus and clarity. The park was quiet today; a few folks walking their dogs along the trail, but other than that, solitude. The typical sounds of traffic were even missing, so it was just the chirps of singing birds, the rustling feet of squirrels and an occasional snort of a deer. Since the rain yesterday, even the leaves were not crunchy, but soft and quiet underfoot.
Walks in the woods are healthy, you know? Mother Earth News reported on October 1, 2017 that walking among trees actually makes us more relaxed… nicer. A recent study showed that spending time in the forest can “reduce psychological stress, depressive symptoms, and hostility.” It also can improve your sleep and give you more energy. Back in the day, doctors used to prescribe going out in nature to improve health — visiting places like the Swiss Alps and the Adirondack Mountains. Growing up near the Adirondacks, I saw many towns and villages — “sanitariums” — that had sprung up because people were coming there for respite from the pollution and noise of the cities. There is something about the effects of trees and nature on your physical and spiritual being.
It’s so amazing how connected we are to this place called earth. And even more important when we realize it, that we learn how to steward the amazing place where we live. The earth is always going through cycles and constant change. I have witnessed significant erosion up at the Lake Michigan shore this past year. The lake levels are record high and the waves and wind have done significant damage to the beaches. But this happened before — like in the 70s — and they spent a lot of money and effort dredging and moving sand to repair the damage. I have seen drought and flooding. We see fires, volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, and all kinds of wild weather on the news every day. We exist in this delicate balance of an incredible ecosystem that is constantly battling what humans do to it — pollution, clear cutting, strip mining, and much more. Yet many are so involved in helping clean the planet and make positive change to ensure that we preserve what we have here. Like the kid that invented a machine that helps clean the plastic out of the oceans; I love the ingenuity. I believe that if each of us take stock of ourselves and what changes we can make in our lives, it will impact our environment in great ways. Simple acts of buying a reusable water bottle and refilling it; purchasing food in containers that are biodegradable rather than all plastic; practicing recycling; reusing, repurposing, and renovating; repairing rather than replacing… all these are just small ways that each of us can make small impacts. And if everyone does small things, that leads to significant change.
Anyway, all that to say that I am grateful on Thanksgiving to have the freedom and ability to take walks in the woods, to climb the dunes and walk along the beaches of the Great Lakes, to look out over the expansive farm fields and breathe the fresh air and enjoy the wide open… to truly enjoy the beauty of the earth.