Can you still enjoy and appreciate nature without stepping outside? Well, I say yes. I guess the jury is still out. I am by no means an authority on what quantifies as experiencing nature.
Today was a little bit of an anomaly. It was cool to start out and just got a little too blustery and rainy for me. Or perhaps I was whiny and looking for excuses.
Sure, I didn’t do a lot outside, at least nothing to write home about. But I still appreciated the outdoors.
I made a pie today. It’s sort of the season for it. Sorta. I have a philosophy about unhealthy items like pie. If you make it from scratch, and I mean making the crust from scratch, the filling from scratch, and bake it yourself, it’s okay to enjoy once in a while. 1) If you make something yourself, it will be infinitely healthier than what you buy in the store. I promise. You know what goes into the pie. You don’t have artificial flavors, or questionable ingredients.
My pie was a little of an experiment. My parents brought some South Carolina peaches out with them. Not enough to make a whole pie, but a few. My landlord is always looking for more recipes to use her rhubarb. So I decided to test out how a peach-rhubarb pie might taste. Local ingredients from different parts of the country. Not that peaches aren’t available in the northwest or rhubarb isn’t prevalent in the south, but these ingredients are brought together from different regions. I’m curious how it will turn out.
The other reason I’m okay with making things like pies on a Eating Green lifestyle is if you make a pie from scratch, you won’t do it every day. You won’t do it every week. It’s a bit of work to do right. I made a pie a little over a month ago for a pie contest (I won), so I don’t feel bad about splurging right now. Call it a little reward for staying on target and even losing a half a pound while my parents visited. Whatever. That goes against what I practice. I’m making a pie, something I don’t do very often.
Because it was a little windy (read, very windy), Chris convinced me to not go out for our workout. It’s been FOREVER since we went to our summer gym (the park), but he won the argument and we did a partner workout with our rowing machine. That thing is getting a lot of use lately. Being lazy and ambitious with fitness does that sometimes. It does beat going to a gym and having to combat with other people. So there’s that. But I am beginning to miss our park workouts. My work schedule isn’t going to allow a whole lot of ZooFit workouts, so it’d be nice to catch them while we are able to. But today wasn’t the day. Maybe tomorrow. Such is life.
My only time outside was marveling at the local fauna as I traveled to my car for CrossFit and running errands. Hummingbirds are always a thrill to watch as they hover and swerve in the air. The local deer finally decided to show off her itty bitty to me. And the Langley rabbits (god bless them, they are an introduced, invasive species, but they are cute) came up looking for their regular treat (I swear I don’t feed them, at least not the ones at the CrossFit gym…)
Yeah, today was sorta an indoors day, but I still thrive on nature. I enjoy the leisure moments nature gives to brighten my day. I look at the inspiration nature provides for my writing. I am contemplating three different stories, essays, and articles to share online or for magazines dealing with connecting to nature in a healthy way. I am preparing my presentation for AAZK conference on Conservation Fitness. And I am reaping the benefits of eating locally and from nature’s providers.
Right now, as I write, I am listening to the pitter patter of rainfall, really appreciating the fact I will not have to water the garden today, but sorry for the cats cooped up inside another day. Maybe tomorrow. I have goals- Farmers Market, Swimming in Goss Lake, Kitties Outside, and ZooFit.
Enjoy the outdoors anywhere. Appreciate what nature gives us anytime. Experience Nature, even indoors.