Green Space Challenge Stories Day 21
“You should sit in nature for 20 minutes a day….unless you are busy. Then you should sit for an hour”. Zen Saying
*************************
“Mary & Glenn Hummon here! Our home of 28 years is across from the former site of Romeo Middle School. We used to joke with our kids that if they didn’t get up for school on time, we’d just open the window and activate the “eject button” on their beds to ensure they’d make first hour by roll call!
Growing up, I was lucky to have a large natural area behind our family’s home. My sister, and I spent our childhood building forts, catching frogs, and leaping across the brook only to squelch home with the annoyingly frequent “soaker”. A treasured childhood memory is reading in a tree fort on a crisp autumn day as the papery golden leaves of my ancient weeping willow host, skittered and fluttered down around me. An equally vivid memory is a visit, at age 4, to the Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor. I can still conjure the feeling of how my heart leapt at the wide open space which provided freedom to run, roll, and somersault into a seemingly endless horizon.
I feel stirred by the sight of a sunset, the break of dawn, or a harvest moon. Morning birdsong, and the wavy flight through the air of a goldfinch make my heart sing. The reassuring sight of a butterfly, reminds me of a time when their delicate beauty was so much more plentiful.
Upon reflection, I wondered…. Why do these musings engender such aching nostalgia? I believe it’s because of a diminished connection to the natural beauty which was so readily accessible in my youth.
We’d love to see a space in the heart of Romeo where children can disconnect from the stresses of school, screen time, and social media. An open space where they can run and play! The elemental peace of space uncorrupted by the hustle & bustle of modern life is a prescription for the serenity we all seek, but so often fail to find.”
Photo credit: Mary Hummon