The sun is shining and the air is an absolutely perfect 73 degrees today here in Chicago as I write this the second week of April, but the first real taste of spring came just one day ago when temperatures finally climbed into the 60s. The longest winter in my lifetime — that I can recall, anyway — has finally and mercifully met its demise.
It has been far too cold for far too long, here in the Midwest and in lovely Western Pennsylvania, where you call home. The Chicago Cubs home opener was snowed out earlier this week, and I can count on one hand the number of days prior to yesterday (April 11) temperatures reached at least 50. Ah, but of course, it is expected to dip into the 20s and snow again this weekend.
I have been eagerly anticipating spring, as I do every year, so I can take advantage of the very limited free time I have and get outside, take a walk or take the kids camping. Trudging the icy, grimy streets of the city every day as I walk into work has become tiring for my soul, which longs for and is naturally drawn to nature.
That concept — that we humans are innately attracted to the outdoors — is the focus of this quarter’s national feature story in Community Health. While we as the most adaptable and industrious creatures on the planet have constructed megalopoli featuring intricate infrastructure networks and buildings that tower into the clouds, cities are not our homes or where we belong, as much as some people might like to think that to be the case. We come from nature. For millenia our ancestors lived in the wilderness — forests, grasslands, mountains, even deserts and tundra — and the biological and psychological need to be amongst nature is rooted in our DNA. We lived among nature for far more of our history than we resided in the urban settings we’ve created.
Nature soothes our souls, calms our minds, and relieves us of stress. It is free of many of the distractions that can throw us off our game and steal our peace. Do yourself and those you love a huge favor, and get out an enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer.
