The indoors is my space. Give me a kitchen to cook in, a library to read through, an old movie to watch. These are my happy places.
I’ve never been a sporty person. I tried as a kid. . . But sports were just not my thing, and no matter how much practicing I did, I was still always going to be picked last for the soccer team. My Dad always said he should have named me Grace, and then maybe I’d have had some. . .
Outside you can get too hot or too cold. I like being comfortable and it’s so easy to be that way indoors.
It’s not that I don’t like the outdoors, but given the option, I will usually choose an indoor activity over an outdoor one. Except for gardening. I love gardening.
I was reflecting on this the other night and I realized something. I have always preferred to be indoors, but all my favorite childhood memories took place outdoors.
The memorable trip to Devil’s Rock Garden with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins to play hide and go seek in the twilight. Great big sandstone formations we would hide behind to jump out and scare others. When I want to recall a favorite memory of my childhood, this is the one I always return to.
The many times my Grandfather would take me fishing. I ALWAYS caught more fish than he did. Eventually he stopped taking me because I was showing him up!😉
The many hours I spent riding my bike all over town, my parents having no idea where I was. I just needed to be home by dinner.
Or the times friends and I would sneak down to the creek. There was never any danger of drowning unless there was a flash flood. The water in the deepest places came halfway to your knees. But it was “off limits” so it was the best place to sneak down to and play in the water on a hot summer’s day.
Do I have memories of the indoors?
Yes. But they aren’t super memorable. Not that memorable experiences didn’t happen inside, but the memories from outside have a brilliant quality to them. They are brighter and more pronounced.
As spring has come and we have been stuck at home with COVID-19 restrictions I have been rediscovering the outdoors. Having a yard that I own, that I can build and plan for the future? It’s a little bit of heaven.
My hammock in the warm sunshine with a light breeze? It makes me SO happy!
I’m loving the spring this year here in Mississippi. Summer can take it’s time. Give me some more outdoor time.
