I’ve had trouble with the jump to daylight savings this Spring. In fact, I often have trouble with Daylight Savings because we lose the sunlight in the morning. I rarely ever use an alarm clock, and I find that my waking schedule generally ends up following the sunrise. Continue reading “Daylight, Savings, and Energy”
Learning to be an Adult in the Boundary Waters
Adventures in nature formed a lot of my strongest memories of growing up. This is one of the reasons that it is important to me to try to foster similar opportunities for my own children and believe that it is important for all children to have opportunities to experience nature.
The transition from child to an adult is a difficult one, but when that transition can occur across different environments, I think that lessons can be learned that can translate into other other areas. In my specific example, I think that the skills of planning, leadership, and confidence that I built up on adventures during these adolescent years, came in useful when navigating high school and college. Continue reading “Learning to be an Adult in the Boundary Waters”
Orion and the Night Hike
I remember as a kid liking the constellation of Orion. It is easy to find, there are other related constellations in the sky as well – Canis Major, Taurus the bull, and the Great Bear, so a story between them tells itself in the sky. The problem is that Orion is a winter constellation and clear winter nights in Wisconsin can get pretty cold, which isn’t ideal stargazing. Continue reading “Orion and the Night Hike”
Getting Back to Nature with Appreciation
One of challenges of getting back to nature is that I have committments and responsibilites that keep me local to my house in the suburbs of a city. So it is usually only with great planning that I’m able to get away for a whole day, let alone an overnight or longer. The extended time is important because it takes time to transition from from worker/husband/father to the version of myself that gets reinvigorated within nature. On further examination, however, while that transition is true and real, it is a skill that can be improved upon to my benefit. Continue reading “Getting Back to Nature with Appreciation”
Hunting Back to Nature
I went deer hunting this weekend. For the first time in nearly ten years, I shot a deer. While that is a long time, I took about five years off from hunting in the middle of that, starting back up last year. For me, there is a strong connection between hunting and family. When my brother moved away and we had two babies at home, it just seemed like the right time to take a break. Continue reading “Hunting Back to Nature”
Take your kids Camping
Take your kids camping. It brings them out of their familiar surroundings and perceived safety of home and gives them a chance to grow. I learn from my kids that they are stronger, smarter, and more resilient than I sometimes give them credit for. By taking them out of their rooms and outside, it helps them to realize for themselves that they have those qualities too. By facing the natural apprehension of the dark, night time can become not about monsters in the closet, but about hikes by moonlight and stargazing. By feeling cold and wet, the warmth of a fire and hot chocolate can be appreciated. Continue reading “Take your kids Camping”