The thing that started this whole road trip was my desire to see my first annular eclipse. Distinct from a total solar eclipse, this “ring of fire” is a strange sight to behold – and that’s coming from someone who travels to see total solar eclipses. Over the years I’ve learned some lessons about what to do (and not) in order to get a good view.
Cast iron pans are a fantastic investment for your kitchen and for your family’s health, but many of us aren’t using them correctly when it comes to seasoning, cleaning, or even following proper steps while cooking. Although I grew up in a family that cooked with cast iron frequently and have a few of my own, I am still learning too.
Once you’ve removed the digital clutter, you need to make sure you’re filling your time with more wholesome, restorative, and healthy activities. One of those things is getting comfortable with mental quiet time, during which you’re not being bombarded with external ideas. Solitude doesn’t have to be a scary thing – it can just be time to decompress and process thoughts and emotions.
Probably the only thing that makes me retreat indoors during summer is mosquitoes. I can handle heat and rain in high quantities, but once I become a buffet, I’m ready to call it quits. Mosquitoes aren’t just annoying; they can carry serious diseases. There are a number of natural solutions to help keep these pests away if you’re looking for an alternative to synthetic repellents.
A bike crash in college shook my confidence to the point that I was no longer comfortable riding. Some associated baggage is tied up with the desire to do it well or not do it at all. A recent mountain biking trip helped me practice going easy on myself, and some of those lessons came back to the office with me.
Fireflies, lightning bugs, glow-worms… these are the insects that herald the beginning of summer. Whatever you may call them, they are declining in numbers globally. There are several factors threatening them, including climate change, habitat loss, light pollution, and pesticides. Here we will take a look at what researchers across the globe are doing to help illuminate the problem and take steps to reverse it.
Our third night in the woods of Virginia met with some interesting effects on my brain in particular. How much of it was a legitimate effect versus my expectation of finding something unusual? I can’t answer that, but I can say that I did feel better (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) while camping and plan to make time for more of it in the future.
Our Memorial Day weekend adventure continues with day two of camping in the mountains of Virginia. Question: what happens when you get curious, introspective people out of their daily lives and into the forest? Apparently you get discussions around philosophy, psychology, anthropology, brain chemistry, culture, society, and unexplainable phenomena tied to the nature of reality. And s’mores. You get s’mores too.
After reading Florence Williams’ The 3-Day Effect, I wanted to experiment on my friends and see what benefits we experienced on our upcoming Memorial Day camping trip. Our little group had an amazing weekend in the mountains of Virginia from Friday afternoon to Monday morning. We had a lot of conversations about how our minds and bodies were adjusting to our return to nature.
We know anecdotally that time spent in nature is beneficial, but there are scientific studies demonstrating various positive impacts on health, cognitive function, stress, and emotional wellbeing. I recently finished a book on the effects of three days in nature on the human mind and body, and this post is set to publish while I, myself, am camping in the mountains for three days.