Alexander Zamachaj

There is a small wooded section of town land, tucked amidst a quaint residential area that runs along a ridge 300′ above the Housatonic River (picture above) in my hometown of Orange, CT. While not nearly large enough to get lost in physically, I go there almost every morning to get lost mentally, regenerate, think, ponder, vent, and overall get a good start to my day. While most people are just getting up or eating breakfast at 6:30 in the morning, I have my Merrill hiking sneakers on, my dog Bernard by my side, and forest and wildlife in front of us. My morning walk has been a routine that I’ve had for close to 20 years now and don’t plan on changing any time soon. Just over the past year, I’ve worked through difficult problems on how to build something, mulling it over as my feet move almost effortlessly over the same rocks, alternatives coming and going till the most efficient and practical solution emerges. I’ve gone to the woods over the years in times of grief to just get away and let gentle breezes that rustle through the treetops whisk my worries and tears away. Its something I cherish, my morning walk, absent of other humans, but full of wildlife and nature in flux.

To see the same section of forest every day throughout a year is not boring as one might think. To be there every day is to see nature slowly working its way though the seasons, from winter with its deep snow, barren branches, and glistening ice coating everything to the emergence of spring with the initial light green buds on the trees morphing into a full fledged canopy that filters the light and casts long deep shadows over the forest floor. Then summer and its bugs and dense humidity hanging languidly in the air, to fall and its brilliant final burst of color before retreating back to winter. And then there is the wildlife, and how much wildlife there is in such a small area. I’ve seen 13 deer in one morning, fox on a regular basis, coyote, squirrel, red tailed hawks, vultures, bald eagles perched looking down at the river, and while I’ve never seen a black bear, there is one that lives in the area.

Every morning, I head out in silence, no earbuds or phone in hand, no music or soundtrack guiding my feet, just my own thoughts carrying my forward. I find that a morning walk, even when I lived in a more densely populated area and walked the city streets every morning, is the best way to start a day. Its not just the exercise, it also gives me a chance to put my day in order, to mentally go through the tasks I need to handle and the order they need to be done in. It’s a morning routine that I cherish and helps keep me grounded. What is your morning routine and does it include nature? How many times do we all put down our phones, head outside, and let nature wash over us and refresh us? I feel that for many people, it doesn’t happen as often as it should. It’s never to late to find that little piece of nature near you, and even if there isn’t some forested area nearby, city streets will do the trick, absent technology of course. So today, make a decision to go outside for a walk, let your mind wander, let nature work its magic on you, and bring you back to center. It can do wonders for your life and those you live with. Get outside today, even if its raining, and remember what it was like to be outdoors as a kid and regain that sense of wonder.