How many times do you wake up in the morning thinking, “I’d like to just drive somewhere – anywhere – to get away for a little bit”? For me, it’s quite often. Daily, even. But may days, there is always something holding me back.
I make excuses like, “I don’t have enough time” or “I’m too tired and it will take too long to get where I am going.” Really, these aren’t very good excuses when it comes to resetting your mind or taking an opportunity to connect with nature. So, Saturday night I went to bed early (so as not to have the “I’m tired” excuse in the morning) and the next morning I set off on an adventure.
Truth be told, I was still making some excuses that morning. I hit the snooze button on my phone several times before I found the will to pull myself out of bed. I started to dress and thought about where Caesar and I would go. “Maybe Defiance? That’s not too far away.” But it was early and I decided that I needed to go “far away.” For a long time, I’ve wanted to venture to Toledo Metroparks, but always made the excuse that it was “too far.”
After convincing myself that the drive was not actually that long, I decided Caesar and I would go check out Toledo Metroparks. (Sometimes, we are our biggest obstacles. My brain proves this daily.)
The first place Caesar and I landed was Fallen Timbers Battlefield. The trail was 1.5 miles, and went through the woods, but most of the trail was open fields. I personally prefer wooded areas, so after leaving Fallen Timbers, I decided to check out Oak Openings, which looked to have all the trees I desired.
I highly suggest Oak Openings. Trails ranged from less than a mile loops to a little over 3 miles. The possibilities were more than we could do in a day. Plus, as spring continues to se in, it was absolutely beautiful in those woods.
It was actually set to rain most of the day on Sunday, so I made sure to pack extra clothes, socks and shoes. And of course, I brought a towel for Caesar (number one hiking tip: always take a towel). But with the exception of a light rain, the thunderstorms stayed away. Actually, walking in the greening woods in the rain is so calming. These days I prefer a little rain while I walk. It helps keep others away but it actually enhances the experience. If you’ve never walked in the rain, get yourself a decent rain jacket and do it now! The smell of rain hitting the woods is enchanting.
On my walks, I do a lot of thinking. On this day, my brain was particularly on high alert as the rain seemed to cleanse the area and my senses. It was just Caesar and I, trekking the forest, listening to the sounds of various birds and the pitter patter of rain drops hitting the tree tops above. It gave me ample time to think about what is going in the world around me and in my life these days.
You’d think that a pandemic would bring people together, and I’d say maybe in the beginning of coronavirus, it did. But these days, people seem to have gotten meaner. Coronavirus has really shown me who cares about others and who only care about themselves. Unfortunately, those who care about themselves seem to be the loudest. As an empath, it’s worn on my soul.
As I walked through the woods with my best friend, I realized how important it is to connect with earth, be with someone you love, and disconnect with people. I find the most comfort alone in the woods with my dog – someone who doesn’t speak my language, but maybe that is for the better.
As I walked on, I continued my thinking.
Recently, I decided to stop eating meat. It’s been exactly three weeks today since I made that decision. I care deeply about living creatures and the earth. Knowing the suffering that occurs to bring us meat, I couldn’t bring myself to contribute to it any longer. Not only that, but the number one cause of deforestation and climate change is agriculture – specifically the agriculture that goes into producing the meat you buy at the local corporate grocery store. “You can’t call yourself and environmentalist and eat meat,” something I heard years ago and has stuck with me, especially while making the change.
I am an environmentalist; I care deeply about the trees and the animals that live within the woods. I care deeply about the cows and pigs I see while driving around rural Ohio. As a child, I raised chickens as friends, not as food. I wish I could bring them all home to live long, happy, and free lives. But I can’t; what I can do is not contribute to their needless dying or the deforestation of the woods that I love so much.
Taking time to connect with nature on a rainy Sunday with my dog helped me to solidify that decision. Nature is beautiful and peaceful. I don’t want to be part of its problem. People wonder why we have a virus loose or why it’s 40 degrees in May or why when it rains, it really, really rains (so much so that it causes destruction). Nature is angry for what we’ve done to it, and it’s paying us back. You get what you give.
I want to give kindness and empathy. So, on my walk I made another decision – to cut out the negativity I see on my social media. I love sharing photos of my dogs on these blogs on Facebook. I want to log on to social media to share the beauty in the world, not to see who thinks they are a “Facebook doctor.” On Sunday, I decided I had had enough and unfollowed every group full of internet bullies.
Life is full of decisions. We can choose to create a better world, choose to help those that are suffering, choose to be a part of something greater, choose to make a difference… or we can choose to be mean, choose to be selfish, choose to think we know everything. You have the power to choose the positivity or negativity you allow in your life. If something is not serving a better version of you or the world, let it go.
These decisions can be hard, but they are not impossible. Connect with nature and choose to be a better servant of earth.
“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” ~Henry David Thoreau