The Outside Life - December 12, 2021

I’m sure getting my fill of vitamin D here. This is the state of the outside life and that’s where I spend most of my time – on the beach, looking at sunrises and sunsets, reading on the back deck or cruising down Route AIA, sunroof open. It will be a big change when I get home. In the winter I spend 90 percent of my time inside. Getting outside in sub forty weather has always been a problem for cold blooded me.

Last year I read a book my son sent me called, “Take Back Your Outside Mindset” by Verla Fortier. I began reading the book and saw many similarities between me and the author who is in her mid-sixties and diagnosed with systematic lupus. As a retired health administrator and practicing nurse, she was searching for a way to improve her health in the great outdoors.

She quoted statistics on how much we as a people actually spend indoors. It made me feel better to know I wasn’t the only one. She challenged the reader to get outside for 5 hours a month, more specifically with nature – trees and natural bodies of water. That means lakes, oceans, and rivers, not my backyard pool. Darn! This seemed like a doable amount of time but also challenging for me. Although I remained very active in the house with exercise programs and work at home, when I went out, it was to do common everyday things; grocery shopping, family functions, general errands and get togethers with friends.

I began my personal challenge in the winter of 2020 and started tracking my time outside in a journal. I’m not going to lie. It wasn’t easy. I had what I thought was a fail-safe clothing routine. Three layers of shirts, fleece lined pants, knee socks, down coat, the L.L.Bean all in one fleece hat and neck warmer, and microwaveable heated mittens. One step outside – still cold. Still miserable. But I pushed through. After six months, I saw that I had in fact surpassed the five hour a month goal by a respectable amount and it was evident I felt better emotionally. In her book, Verla described how wonderful it felt to be outside in her home in the Canadian countryside, shushing through snow, looking at pine trees and inhaling air where you can see your breath. Heck, I couldn’t even enjoy a 15-minute walk in my neighborhood, bundled up like a hiker on Mt. Everest. I tried to find joy in snow covered trails, pinecones on fir trees and cold, crisp skies, even while a biting wind made my nose redder than Rudolph. I really did.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” -Sir Ranulph Fiennes

I don’t know if I am on board with this quote. What I really want to know is where does Sir Ranulph actually live? If it’s anywhere south of the Mason Dixon line, sixty degrees seems to necessitate cranking up the heat and putting on a heavy sweater.

Cue my current situation. Five hours a month? I’m outside five hours a day. The ocean is waiting, the sky is calling, and I can’t wait to get out there. I have a little more than two weeks left and I am well aware I will face a challenge when I get home. Do I just face facts? Can I really be an outdoor winter person in a summer body? Or do I just need better clothes?

One thing I do know, before I decide what to do about this, I think I will hibernate for a week, sit by a roaring fire and let my body transition. A microwaveable heat pack and a hot cup of tea sounds right up my alley.

I lingered most about the fireplace, as the most vital part of the home.” Henry David Thoreau

It seems I’m in good company.