One of the things that I have been trying to work on this week is getting outside. The weather has been perfection, which can be a rare phenomenon for North East Ohio.
When I was younger my siblings and I basically lived outside. From the moment we woke up to well past when the sun went down we were outside-especially in the summer. We would let our imaginations run wild playing anything from pretend zoo to pretend house. I remember during one summer we created our own Hawaiian themed summer camp called Camp Hula Hula. (the shows Bug Juice and Johnny Tsunami were big then) We set up our tents in the backyard and camped out for a few days with our cousins and neighborhood friends. It was legit, we even had a bonfire and leis. :)
As I have gotten older, I've lacked on my outside time. (This is where that whole making excuses bit come into play) However, I made a conscious effort to get outside for at least 30 min every day last week, and I have to say that the results have been fantastic. There is nothing like fresh air. I feel so calm and at peace when I am outside, so anytime that I have felt stressed of anxious I go for a walk with the dogs. It really helps to clear my mind and put things back into perspective, plus the dogs love it!
It has also made me realize that Cleveland has some pretty fantastic Metro Parks. I have lived here for three years, and have never really taken advantage of the beautiful trails. It makes me really excited for fall, when all of the leaves start to change.
XO,
Mimi