I was in a funk early this week. I had no right to be down—I had just returned from a wonderful beach vacation. I’m healthy. I’m happy. So, what was wrong with me?!?
I have no idea but it was real. I didn’t even want to go on
my weekly Tuesday afternoon bike ride. My mountain bike buddy was in Utah and another
was in Charleston but their absence was just an excuse. I didn’t want to ride.
Actually, I didn’t want to do much of anything. Honestly, work didn’t interest me. I had
mowed the day before so I didn’t have that to do—something that I find
restorative.
But a friend I talked to put it best: Go ride. So I did. My
mountain bike was in the truck and I had brought clothes for it so I was out of
excuses.
I headed for the mountains even though my heart still wasn’t
in it. And you know what? It worked. Two hours in the mountains on my mountain
bike, alone, with hardly a soul on the trails, rejuvenated me, restored me.
After I got back in cell range, I called my wife and
admitted my funk and then told her how miraculously the mountains had cured me.
And I’ve been fine ever since.
Later that night, I read a couple of articles in Outside
magazine about the value of green spaces. One article judged cities by the
amount of green space available. Blount County wasn’t on the list but it seemed
focused on big cities. I bet that if smaller regions were eligible, our beloved
county would have made it.
After all, about a third of the county is in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. And if you ever fly over it, you see mostly green.
Even in the cities.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about our Greenbelt, about
how valuable an asset it was to all of us. Free. Easy. Convenient. I think I
called it an “oasis” in our cities.
The second magazine article talked about the health benefits
of green spaces. It addressed the value of walking amongst the trees.
We know the benefits of walking and regular exercise.
Goodness knows I’ve preached that sermon in this space what seems like a
million times. And it makes common sense to know that we are healthier and
happier if we get outdoors from time to time.
It’s also not too farfetched to understand that our mental health
benefits from walking in green spaces. Maybe the fresh air and blue skies.
Maybe a bubbling brook. Birds chirping. No electronic devices.
But this article talked about the physical health
benefits from walking among the trees. And it quantified it! It quoted a ton of research that concluded
that our physical health is better from a walk in the park or in the forest for
120 minutes a week.
Two hours! Research clearly tells us that you will live
longer. That Alzheimer’s patients live healthier for those 120 minutes a week.
A lot of medical ailments are better because of it.
Well goodness gracious, we can all do that! We live in the
best place in the country to do that, with miles of trails in the Smokies and a
Greenbelt system that is the envy of communities everywhere.
All we’ve got to do is take advantage of what literally sits
outside our door.
