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Before exams in college I would always study the hard stuff first, and then when time was short, gloss over the things I thought I knew pretty well. I've been "practicing" riding for 5 months and today I practiced being on vacation. On this beautiful pre-fall day, I rode an easy 10 miles out to a Panera's for brunch. I lingered leisurely on their patio, much longer than a Serious Bike Rider would, thinking, 'this is what vacation will be like'... all the time in the world because there's no deadline to be anywhere. I didn't much feel like even riding this morning. And then I got on my bike and on one of the beautiful paths and I smiled, happy that I made the effort. Yes, the riding is about getting somewhere, and getting exercise...but the part I like most, I believe, is being in nature. It just makes me so happy.
Ever read the book Last Child In the Woods? The author discusses the growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of both children and adults. I don't need a book to tell me how healing nature is. As I have recovered from divorce, it's been my go-to drug of choice.
Last Child In the Woods describes how people today are aware of global threats to the environment like climate change —but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature, is fading. That's exactly the opposite of how it was when I was a kid. My Dad loved nature and he passed that along to me. I have memories of catching crawdads from under rocks at Mine Brook and squatting beside a water-filled ditch building dams and catching tadpoles -- all within blocks from home. We were allowed to roam and explore. As I ride along these canals and rivers, I still feel drawn to go throw rocks, wade, build dams and search the muck for creatures. It's a fabulous place to waste time as Shakespeare would say.