Doesn’t just the thought of walking down this path make you calmer? It certainly does that for me. I absolutely need my time in nature or I start to get a little stir crazy. Nature time is a necessary part of life for me.

Nature deficit disorder is a term coined by Richard Louv in his fantastic book, ‘Last Child in the Woods.’ His book focused on children and how much they need unstructured play, preferably in nature, to be completely healthy. I believe that adults do as well.

You don’t have to throw on your backpack and head to the mountains, although that sounds fantastic, your back yard will do and if you don’t have a backyard, a roof top where you can see the stars or a local park or vacant lot. Something…almost anything…without a building where you can sit on the dirt and watch the clouds. A park would be wonderful, but since I traveled the country last year and have seen so much, I realize that nature is not easily accessible in ways that most of think about nature.

Often those vacant lots I just referred to could be covered with trash or are not safe. That said, I have seen a lot of vacant lots transformed.

Nature and play time. Not just for kids. We all need to play more. I hope you start soon-your body and mind will thank you.

To your good health!

Patty