Just over a year ago, our lives were positively changed by a single book: Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods. Louv's book, a critical
read for those parenting in today’s world, is not only a practical guide to
the power of the nature connection, but a spiritual one as well. We were so excited about its message that we wanted to share our experiences here, with you. Through our efforts to
get back to nature and make time for it in our daily lives, we have grown as a
family unit despite challenging times, and we have discovered new solutions to
age-old parent-child relationship matters as well as alternative ways to ease
the symptoms of Henry’s ADHD, which was a key goal of our mission.
What we discovered is that the openness and solace of nature is a non-judgment zone where Henry is free to be himself. He can direct his boundless creativity and busy mind in ways that have no limits, no rules. Yet magically, when he is outdoors, his thoughts organize with clarity, just the way he wants them to so that he's able to set and complete a goal in a single-minded, focused fashion (the regular practice of which has given him tools he can access in other settings). For him, this has been a major confidence-builder, especially when he’s had a challenging day. Nature has had an intensely calming effect on him as well. In fact, we ALL end every adventure feeling peaceful and happy. When we go home, we are again connected to one another, connected to our world/community, and connected to ourselves. Nature refuels our spirits, refills our individual capacities for joy and again instills in us purpose. We are grateful for this and countless other wonderful results of the mission.
Our mission has been a success. And with success in mind, I’ll be taking some time off from recounting our stories here in order to make more time for new creative journeys. Our nature adventures, however, will continue! If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Of course it does. Although we will be forging on quietly, we will still be filling the woods, lakes, meadows, streams and beaches with laughter and filling our memories and hearts with great stories. We hope you, too, will continue to make nature connection one of your missions so that we can retell our stories together around the campfire someday.
Until then, thank you for reading and for supporting us. This little project of ours has brought us new friends, new insights and new possibilities that we would not have discovered without the kind words of encouragement and the precious bits of time you have so graciously given us.
What we discovered is that the openness and solace of nature is a non-judgment zone where Henry is free to be himself. He can direct his boundless creativity and busy mind in ways that have no limits, no rules. Yet magically, when he is outdoors, his thoughts organize with clarity, just the way he wants them to so that he's able to set and complete a goal in a single-minded, focused fashion (the regular practice of which has given him tools he can access in other settings). For him, this has been a major confidence-builder, especially when he’s had a challenging day. Nature has had an intensely calming effect on him as well. In fact, we ALL end every adventure feeling peaceful and happy. When we go home, we are again connected to one another, connected to our world/community, and connected to ourselves. Nature refuels our spirits, refills our individual capacities for joy and again instills in us purpose. We are grateful for this and countless other wonderful results of the mission.
Our mission has been a success. And with success in mind, I’ll be taking some time off from recounting our stories here in order to make more time for new creative journeys. Our nature adventures, however, will continue! If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Of course it does. Although we will be forging on quietly, we will still be filling the woods, lakes, meadows, streams and beaches with laughter and filling our memories and hearts with great stories. We hope you, too, will continue to make nature connection one of your missions so that we can retell our stories together around the campfire someday.
Until then, thank you for reading and for supporting us. This little project of ours has brought us new friends, new insights and new possibilities that we would not have discovered without the kind words of encouragement and the precious bits of time you have so graciously given us.
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