The Beauty in a Backyard

I'm quite fortunate to have relatively adventurous parents who frequently made it a point to get out of the house. Growing up, we had many weekend getaways, took a few camping trips and went on a couple of long road trips to different places throughout the country. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was actually very privileged to have these adventures compared to most of my classmates and  the kids I grew up with.

Of course, many of these experiences were not really what you would call "wild", but it didn't take much to draw me towards an appreciation for the outside world. The planned vacations and weekend escapades helped instill in me a desire to travel, yet most of the memories of being a kid that stand out in my mind are from visiting local parks and roaming in my own backyard.
I’m not even sure how much time I actually spent outside as a kid, but I do know that those memories – playing on the swing set, making mud coffee and twig soup, searching for lady bugs,  and running through the sprinklers – are what I remember most clearly from my childhood. Although I may not have had very many “wilderness” experiences, I had enough time outside to recognize the value of how fascinating and fun the outdoors could be.

As I get older, the desire and need for outside play does not go away. If anything, it has gotten greater, and I’ve continued to seek it out. My regular activities include finding rocks to climb, swimming in lakes, or hiking; and my weekend excursions typically entail backcountry bushwacking and challenging adventures.
And still, it doesn't take much. I continue to play in my backyard, although this now includes big trees, long trails, high mountains, and big talus slopes where I can scramble around. I carefully hop from one boulder to the next, search for lizards hiding in the cracks below, and feel the rocks shift beneath my feet.

Often, it is these smaller interactions and activities that lead to my greatest connections with the outside world, which has been true since my time spent playing within the fences of my parents' house. Knowing this reveals in me a strong sense of gratitude, not just for the backyard I have now, but for those I’ve enjoyed in the past and those I have yet to explore.