O is for Oops

As in oops I dropped the blog ball yesterday with letter N in the April A to Z blog challenge. Not to worry though, because I'm picking it up today by way of a combination post. Two letters for the price of one you might say.

N is for Nature and O is for The Great Outdoors

See, it's gonna be fine.

I love high heels, pearls, and sipping champagne in a skyscraper restaurant overlooking Manhattan. I also love comfy jeans, a hike in the mountains, and running barefoot off the dock into the crystal clear lake waters of my own backyard.

Part country mouse, part city mouse.

Cities are noisy, energizing, and alive, but getting out into nature helps me remember I'm not in charge of the universe. The quiet of the woods on a gorgeous autumn day silences the soundtrack running on a loop inside my head.

 A mountaintop view gives me room to think and dream.

Standing in front of a seemingly endless expanse of ocean makes me feel small and sure there is a God.

A stroll through a lovely English garden tells me to stop and smell the roses.

We spend so much time in the 'connected' world these days that it's really hard to disconnect without physically leaving the places we plug in. We rely on our phones and computers to tell us about the world around us as opposed to standing in wide open spaces and observing for ourselves.

A trek up a mountain means I have to dip into my well of grit and determination, something that's not needed for scrolling the internet.

A starry night sky away from city lights inspires my sense of creativity and curiosity, and waves kissing the shore over and over and over again brings a sense of order to a very disorderly world.

There is peace and there is perspective and there is gratitude to be found in the great outdoors.

Let's all go out and get us some.