The year 2020 has been a year of unfathomable issues and uncertainty. In some way or another, we have all been adversely affected by the global pandemic that has not gone away as quickly as we had hoped. However, even on the cloudiest day, I have found that the sunshine can always find its way through. Some people have been able to find the sunshine through this pandemic by enjoying the ability to have a “pause” in life, the ability to reconnect with one’s self, to the ability to spend much needed time with loved ones. For me, my sunshine in times of uncertainty is being able to explore my natural curiosity of all things outdoors.
Nature has always been a place of refuge for me since adolescence. I remember stories of my mom telling me how foul I smelled as I attacked her with hugs after spending hours on a “mini-nature trail” in our neighborhood or how I’d ride my 18-speed bike when frustrated with school. I’d say that hasn’t changed, but I’ve been able to have more access to the outdoors, especially during this year. So, my journey began with just getting outside of my basement apartment located just behind the McMillan Reservoir (Washington, DC). In doing so I was able to go on casual bike rides throughout the streets of DC which led me to rediscover Rock Creek Park, specifically a location where you could sit atop the cascades of the river. With the time I had during the summer I was able to visit family and friends located in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. While there, I was able to go to parks, slip into beaches, farmer’s markets, learned to play tennis, jog and so many other activities that put me in contact with nature. The ability to connect with nature in more or fewer ways in which I have depends upon everyone’s living situations, but something as little as adding a plant to your room counts. It is something that has been proven to alleviate many mental and physical ailments by top tier researchers. All this to say that mishaps, misfortunes, and misadventures can look many ways should you put a personal twist on it.
Here are some places I have had the opportunity to visit and recommend:
