Sun, Sand, Mountains, Water - the Outdoor Necessities of My Soul -

Scott and I spent the last week in Northern California, listening to the sound of waves, wandering the wilds of the Redwoods, and gathering rocks and sand dollars on the beach.

I once heard that people need sun, sand, mountains, and water in their lives - because that is our origin, and we need to return to these elements on a yearly basis to regenerate our bodies and souls.

Last year I yearned for water and mountains, and Scott and I tried to "get there," but because of fires and smoke, our travels, and vista, were thwarted. I hungered for the water, a sparkling river even, and throughout last fall I felt the need, not just desire, to get to water! This year I've been blessed to have the opportunity to travel and receive from these sources, and I feel better.

Gratefully, when planning our trip to England I was able to arrange for a few nights in Herne Bay, and just the sight of the ocean and blue skies made me exhale, inhale, and breath in the fresh air. 

And my need for mountains and trees - Idaho mountains or Southern hills - doesn't matter, was taken care of when we spent time in Idaho - only once this year (3x last year), but long enough for me to smell the pine, hear the Lodge Poles bending in the wind, and sit by crystal clear running water.

Now for the sand - and that happened over the past week, and I almost feel whole again.

I'm not much of a hiker, biker, outdoors-woman, but my soul needs the outdoors more than it needs buildings, and while I'm in a building most of my day, I'm finding that time spent outside really is time well-spent, even if it's walking around the block on a concrete sidewalk or trekking through Belgium on cobblestone walkways, or dodging bicycles on asphalt roads in Amsterdam, or exploring bits of England in my walking shoes, I need the outdoors.

I often wonder about folks who spend their time, lots of their time indoors - doing indoor stuff, never to even miss being outdoors. How? What feeds their souls? What helps them relax, re-energize, renew, reset, re-center?