Nature Cures All

I believe that nature is the cure to all of life’s stresses. Today, we spend most of our lives planning for the future and worrying about what is coming next. It does not take long to feel overwhelmed in this fast-paced society. With a cell phone, utility bill, and automobile around every corner, it can be difficult to imagine the world was ever different. Nature and the environment provide a barrier in which to separate the everyday tensions from joy, happiness, and freedom.

At a young age, I was drawn to the peacefulness of hiking through the woods near my families’ farm. I could walk for hours hunting morel mushrooms and searching for animals. I jumped through creeks and climbed trees. I frequently dodged thorns and mosquitoes, with absolutely nothing productive on my mind. Silence was all around, yet the air hummed with the sounds of birds, crickets, and frogs. Only as the sun melted into the horizon, did I decide to turn home. I enjoyed the simplicity and complexity; the safety and the danger. For that few hours, that is where I belonged and nothing else mattered.

The summer before junior high, I traveled with a group of family and friends to the wilderness of the Boundary Waters. Dense forests and crystal clear water beckoned to me as we paddled our way across the isolated lakes. The call of the cool water seemed to taunt us each time we perfected our pace. For each hour we spent on the boat, a second was spent submerged. By the time we made it to land, I was aching to find a fishing hole to call my own. Rain or shine; waves or calm. It did not matter. For those few hours, that is where I belonged and nothing else mattered.

Little has changed in all these years except the energy I will expend to find an unfamiliar oasis. Although I still enjoy trekking around Iowa, the pressures build much faster and require a much larger dose of simplicity and remoteness. While hopping across the county line was once enough, I now set my sights afar.

Earlier this year, I traveled to Costa Rica. Though I had much to be stressed about with my career, I left that weight behind. Even had I wanted to worry about home, this was not an option while I gazed upon the sixty foot waterfalls that carved their own path through the landscape. The beaches fused into dense prehistoric forests filled with poison dart frogs and the deep bellows from dozens of howler monkeys. Blue crabs scurried into their holes around every bend and giant spiders hung from webs that could have only been constructed to trap a bird or possibly an unsuspecting tourist. I overcame fears by zip lining throughout the lush canopy and swinging from jungle trees with nothing more than a few feet of rope tied around my waist. Those days, nature was adventurous and dangerous, exactly how it had been when I was young. For those few hours, that is where I belonged and nothing else mattered.

Nature can cure it all. For a little while, it does not matter the cost of your car or clothes. It is impossible to worry about assignments and work deadlines as you explore pristine environments. Whether you prefer camping, swimming, or hiking, it is important to slow down and take in the natural world. Nature is all around us and is truly the best remedy for our stressful lives. We don’t need to travel far to return to the carefree lives of our childhood. Tomorrow we will return to the trepidation we have created. For now, enjoy the earth and all that it offers. In the end, just getting past the concrete of the city is all that matters.