How Spending Time in Nature Changes You for the Better

You might wonder why, if this is a blog dedicated to upcycling and living with less, I don't talk a lot about all that's going wrong in the environmental world. 

The truth is that the statistics make me feel anxious, the articles about how we're ruining the earth leave me feeling apathetic (what can I do in the face of all that?) and our lives of consumerism make me break out in hives. Don't get me wrong: I try not to shop big box stores, but I certainly don't always buy organic/local/eco-friendly either. 

Studies show that we're staying indoors more than ever before. An eye-opening article by NPR Americans Spending Less Time in Nature, is educating, albeit depressing. 

Maybe if we all got out in nature more often, we'd take better care of the planet.

I remember spending hours outside when I was a kid. My mother had four children, so sometimes she would kick us out of the house to get the cleaning done. I created imaginary houses within the thick tree trunks, boats out of fallen logs, and magical kingdoms on the little stream that would freeze over in winter. 

I learned a lot about the woods just by being in them. 

I learned that old, wet wood peels apart exactly like turkey in flakes and chunks, the smell and taste of clover, the way the leaves turned "inside out" before it rains.

As a parent, I feel particularly concerned that my son isn't getting enough time outside. Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle, but I believe that all kids (and many adults, if they'll let themselves) are naturally curious about nature. Why does that plant make seeds there? What's inside this shell? How old is that tree? Why is the butterfly that color? 

It's not easy to get access to outdoor places, especially if you live in an urban environment. Still, nearly every place on earth has a park, a small patch of grass or some other natural setting to explore. 

If you're fortunate enough to live in a rural setting or have easy access to one, try one of these fun outdoor activities and see how you and your family feels after spending time in nature.  

1) Go geocaching. This is a sort of nature treasure hunt--geocachers "plant" caches in different locations. Seekers must find the cache using only a GPS.

2) Go for a hike. It doesn't have to be long and arduous. Listings of quickie hikes and easy trails should be listed on your state's forest parks and recreation website.

3) Have a picnic. So what if it's cold? Bundle up and build a campfire in your backyard. Spread some blankets around the fire and enjoy a yummy meal together.

4) Garden.

5) Explore your local state or local wildlife refuges. These have some great walking/snowshoeing trails and normally lake or river access for canoeing.

6) Buy a used telescope and explore the stars and galaxies together.

7) Walk the dog.

8) Go on a family walk and clean litter off the roadside as you do it (don't forget gloves!).

9) Go Letterboxing. Similar to geocaching, only you stamp a small log book instead of finding a cache. Requires no GPS.

These are just a few ideas, I'm sure you can come up with a lot more of your own. The important thing is just to try to get out there--even if it's once a week. My bet is that the fresh air, movement, and connection to nature will have you wanting more in no time.

What do you think? What's your favorite way to spend time outdoors? 

Can You Simplify Your Life By Working Harder?

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Do you ever feel like your life is just rushing like a river, sweeping you and everything in it along in its current? I do. Sometimes "life" feels more like a verb than a noun. Like it's something happening to me, rather than something I'm fully participating in.

A Treadmill Life

You know the weeks: the ones where you rush from one evening meeting or activity to another, fielding phone calls from people who "need your help," and feeling guilty if you even consider saying no to making brownies for the fundraiser, helping clean the church, babysitting for your friend whose husband is dealing with a pretty serious health issue and on and on.

Sometimes though, it's not even the out of the ordinary things, but regular old life. Bill paying and grocery shopping, errand running and trying to keep up with dishes and laundry and vacuuming and your kid's school paperwork (I'm convinced that public schools in the U.S. are responsible for deforestation in half of the world at least). There are dentist appointments to schedule and dinners to cook and ... and at the end of the day you feel like you've lost a game of Whac-a-Mole rather than enjoy any part of your day. In fact, you can't really remember what you did today.

That's how life has been feeling for me for a while now. I could blame it on my newish full-time job which I started last fall, but honestly, it's been an issue for much longer.

A Potential Solution

This may sound counter intuitive, but after I was inspired by the Slow Your Home Podcast with Rhonda Hetzel, things have started to change ... for the better. 

What did I do that's helped change things? I've been paring down, to start. I made a list of things that I love doing (upcycling/art, being in nature, writing on this blog, spending time with my family and "home caring") and things that I don't or which I enjoy but feel overwhelmed trying to fit in right now (starting a new side gig, selling more of my mystery novels at different venues, selling vintage items at a local shop, volunteering). 

Just putting those things down on paper was really eye-opening. It helped me to see concretely which were "yeses" and which were "nos." 

Next, I started to consciously slow myself down. How? This is going to sound doubly counter intuitive, but I started making more things from scratch around the house, (bread, dishwasher detergent, more homemade foods), and created a little frugality/savings challenge for myself.  (I can't wait to share the results with you soon!) 

Something Amazing Happened

With all these new/different activities taking up my time, wouldn't I end up more stressed? Strangely, no. The more I did things that mattered to me, that are authentic to my life, the happier I feel. 

Let me give you an example. This past Sunday morning, I had about an hour to myself (a rare occurrence in my household!). What should I do? Lately, I've been using this time for planning my week and looking over my schedule. But the sky was brilliant blue and I was really excited about trying out this homemade dishwasher detergent recipe (yes, I'm dorky like that) in the Little House Living book. 

I've also been on a biking kick (inspired by Mr. Money Moustache) so I decided to ride my bike to the grocery store, about two miles away. Though it was colder out than I thought, the experience was exhilerating. It felt so good to get to the store under my own power. It was amazing to tuck my purchase into my backpack and breeze back out the door. 

While there, I also scored a bunch of recycled plastic grocery bags (I'd looked when I got groceries the week before but the bin was empty) which we use for trash bag liners and kitty litter deposits. Double score! I left the store feeling content. The sun was warm, the breeze was chilly, I was doing something healthy for my body and the planet at the same time. I paused as I walked to my bike and realized that I felt so content and happy and peaceful inside because I was doing something that was authentic and meaningful to me. 

Now, I'm not saying the riding your bike to the store for a certain product or ingredient will be fulfilling (though it might be). For you, the activity might be very different. But whatever you love and feel passionate about, see if  by adding it to your life--even when you feel overwhelmed and even when you can't imagine adding a single other thing in--you also feel better/calmer and more present. 

The trick though, is first taking a look at what your priorities are and deciding what doesn't fall into the list, and letting that thing go. It doesn't mean it's forever, just for now. 

What do you think? Are you willing to try this out for a week or more and see what happens? If so, please share in the comments section. 

Thorn Bushes, Raised Beds & Spring Cleaning

Ah, spring is in the air (finally!) and we couldn't wait to get outside today and tackle some projects in the yard (aka "the homestead").

Though I didn't get a picture of it, my first mission was tearing up a terrible thorny bush that started growing under the back deck and in the pine trees at the edge of the property. It winds itself into the pine tree branches and starts to pull them down. The clump under the deck was shooting up through the boards and the lattice that surrounds the outside.What a pain ~ literally ~ of a job it was!

After wrestling with these for quite a long time, I raked some leaves and turned over dirt in the garden beds. Meanwhile the Mister worked on this:

Any guesses as to what he's building?

If you guessed, "raised bed," you're right. :) This is one that we will plant strawberries in. He also built a longer, narrower bed for the raspberry bushes we'll be getting. Before that though, I have to get soil for both beds. Yesterday I picked up all the lumber at a recycle building supply store. I got five longish boards as seen above for under $25!

Why Raised Beds?

I've gardened as long as I've been a homeowner ... so about 15 years now. If you haven't switched to raised beds yet, I highly recommend them. They are so much easier than fighting weeds in a traditional garden. Because you aren't disturbing the soil by walking on it, the weeds get much less oxygen and because of that, don't grow (much). The soil in raised beds also warms more quickly, allowing you to plant your seeds earlier than in a traditional garden.

We have three already and with these shiny, new beauties are up to five. I'd like one or two more next year--one for cut flowers and another for more veggies. Maybe one could be turned into a cold frame?

We have other exciting news about an increase in our family's numbers (by six!) but I'll save that for when I have some good pictures to show you.

What spring cleaning/outdoor projects/frugal things are you doing this weekend?