Читать книгу The Outdoor Citizen. Get Out, Give Back, Get Active онлайн

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I’ve had the good fortune of being able to enjoy the outdoors my whole life. I developed a love for the outdoors as a child. When our small house began to feel too small, and my parents began to lose patience, we’d hear the command, “Get out!” It was a call for us kids to go outside and play, to give my parents space in order to preserve their sanity. My dad was a former drill sergeant in the US Marine Corps, and during his time there he developed a perfect ominous pitch; when he bellowed at us to get out, we knew we had to follow orders. In retrospect I have a great appreciation for this. My parents wanted us out of their hair and inadvertently inspired in us a lifelong appreciation of the outdoors.

Outside our home was a simple 100-year-old stone wall that separated our backyard from a small piece of conservation land that my siblings and I called “the woods.” At five years old, I began climbing over the wall, escaping into the bounty that lay past it. The woods had everything a kid needed for an adventure: downed trees, skunkweed, prickly bramble, and a babbling brook. At the time I didn’t know how lucky I was to have access to this space, but in retrospect I realize how perfect a place it was to explore, imagine, and learn. The time outside significantly bolstered our physical and emotional health. We had regular access to fresh air, exercise, and the mood-boosting benefits of sunshine. During this time, I realized how much fun I had working in and tending to nature, playing a small part in the stewardship of “the woods.” These childhood adventures instilled in me a fierce desire to help others also enjoy the natural world, and a drive to protect outdoor spaces for families the world over.