There’s just something soothing to me about being outside. Whenever I’m grumpy, or sad, or sick, I yearn for the feel of it. When you’re outside, the yucky things back off, stress, worry, pressure… if you close your eyes and just stand outside, feel the air, listen to the birds, the leaves rustling, all that negative energy seems to loosen and drift away. Sanity lives outdoors. Freedom lies just outside my door. Nature is balanced and perfect in a way that we, as humans, cannot replicate. Nature Deficit Disorder truly affects us all.

It’s no surprise then, that today I feel good. I took a hike yesterday with my hubby. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve not done a thing athletic-wise since that tournament in early May when my knee got nasty. Oh, how quickly you lose your fitness! I gingerly stepped, sometimes hobbled, and suffered in the 92 degrees, that, to we Texans, is not even hot… just warm. I wondered why it was kicking my butt. When I got home and looked at my food intake, I realized that our hike, that’s a bit strenuous, (first 30 minutes is uphill/rocky) took way more energy than I’d taken in all day. I had eaten 360 calories by 1pm when we went. I bonked.

It didn’t keep me from loving all of these things:

Go Outside, Refresh Your Spirit!
Go Outside,
Refresh Your Spirit!

Oh, and the scale finally moved in the right direction! Bonus!