In 2020 getting outside became a priority for many people. Inside closed and outside opened. More downtime, relocating (maybe out of your city), and a need to feel less trapped introduced us to nature again. It was something some of us had kinda forgotten about. It was priorly something to enjoy on the weekend if you had any time in between catching up on chores and being social. This reintroduction into the outside world sparked an old flame for many of us.
Many of us picked up hobbies in 2020 that have since been dropped as regular programming resumed…maybe including that rekindled relationship with nature. However, some of us were not willing to give up that easily on the outside world as the inside world slowly returned to normal. The benefits of sitting outside in the sun during your Monday morning meeting felt too good to give up when everyone else started to head back to their cubicle. So if your boss is now making you put on clothes (outside of your joggers and t-shirts) and come to the office for those meetings, it is important to not let that time outside go!
When everything was truly shut down NYC became a ghost town. So we packed up some stuff, left Billyburg, and moved to the suburbs. (Spoiler: we never returned!) Spending so much time out of the city gave us a new perspective. We realized our days in the city all seemed to mimic each other and our time felt like it was slipping away. When it was finally time to move back to BK, we realized we wanted more. Not more stuff or more bars and restaurants. More space, more experiences, more adventures! With the right opportunity and a bit of preparation, our luck took off.
2020 was no doubt one of the toughest years many of us have faced collectively. And of course, everyone experienced hardships in their own unique way. Alex and I were fortunate enough to have been given a perspective that changed our life. When people started returning to some kind of normal, we didn’t.
We noticed this trend that had started to grow in popularity due to the limitations on travel and decided to find a way to take part in it. “Van Life” opened our eyes to many things but one of the things that stood out to me the most was the closeness to nature. We didn’t end up going with a van, we decided we wanted a little bit more space, so instead, we bought a small motor home. Having our home everywhere we go is still one of the best parts of traveling this way, but a runner-up is being able to get to the most beautiful, isolated areas in the country and uniquely stay within the environment.
The benefits of being outside are infinite. Fresh air, time in the sun, and exploring can give you a new perspective, can be a mood mender, and ground you in your space. The physical and mental benefits feel endless. Alex and I were blown away by visiting the Redwoods National Forest. Different ecosystems speak more or less to different individuals. Personally, I am a beach gal, while Alex is a mountain man, but the Redwoods felt like a world within itself to us. Different from anywhere we had been before. The rich colors and simplistic silence in combination with the sheer size of the trees and knowledge of how long this ecosystem has survived and flourished filled us with immense fascination.
Nature does not judge. It is a place for all ethnicities and species to share. It can be centuries old, like the Redwoods, or a brand new green space to hide away somewhere inside your busy city. The important thing about it is not what type of green space you choose, but that you get there. Advocate for nature’s spot in your life. Studies show that people who had spent only two hours a week in nature, whether all at once or sprinkled throughout the week “were substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who don’t.” Something as simple as switching up where you do your daily dog walks, or self-walks, could feel so impactful on your life. While walking around the neighborhood is fine and all, trying a local park or trail can feel both beneficial & delightful.
With all that nature does for us, it’s important to remember that climate change and environmental integrity are quickly becoming a threat to the natural world. Being an ally for these places is important to help with the continuation of their survival. Volunteering around your local neighborhood to clean up trash can be a great way to get outside and also preserve the earth. Who doesn’t love a good two-for-one?
Unfortunately while exploring nature Alex and I have seen humans impact areas from sheer selfishness. How we treat outside is important. “Leave no trace” is an incredibly paramount movement to remember when visiting nature! This ensures that the native species survive and that other people can enjoy it just as you have. Something as simple as chucking your cigarette butt on the floor can impact an entire species.
Another major thing we have learned is to not over-share every area we visit. This is a pretty new concept and is mainly born in the wake of social media, and how fast information is spread. Whereas national parks have amazing set hikes or drives- there may even be a lot of people following the same paths- the National Parks have the resources to make sure the integrity of those environments is kept up with and remain safe for everyone. Places that are less managed would suffer from people flooding those natural areas. So while the itch to share all your best locations in nature on social media might feel overpowering, fight it a little, and try using a more localized geotag to sustain that specific ecosystem and not bombard an area that might not be able to handle that amount of traffic. Locations will still get shared via word of mouth but at a much slower rate.
A huge, ginormous, integral part of this traveling lifestyle is the number of different environments we get to try on. We could be parked next to the Missouri River one night going to bed listening to the gentle waves crash along the rocky shore or waking up on the edge of the Badlands to the most incredibly surreal sunrise. While we love to explore cities, (and we really do) we continue to get out in nature and reap the benefits daily. After living in Brooklyn, commuting on the subway, and doing the 9-5 office job, I can genuinely say that I notice -since incorporating nature into my life- such a better relationship with myself, my surroundings, and others.
Despite our specific opportunities with our motorhome, being in nature is not dependent on where you live. While living on the UES I once took the subway almost 100 stops just to put my feet in the ocean at Coney Island with a friend. We felt the need to get out of our loud neighborhood and put our toes in the freezing winter water and sand, so we found a way! While in Brooklyn, driving a few neighborhoods over just to take our dog to the biggest park around us, because we needed to only see green, didn’t feel like such an inconvenience. It was certainly more challenging finding green spots in the big apple than it may be now while living in a motor home, but it was always worth it. Nature is healing. It is fascinating and giving. Making it a priority in your life will only benefit you. Enjoy it and take pictures but let yourself be there without the weight of your day or your life at your fingertips. I always find being outside more enjoyable when I am not trying to split my time between my distracting & attention-seeking smartphone and what’s around me.