Distancing

One of the primary reasons we uprooted from California is a desire to have a richer, fuller social life for both grown-ups and kids. We were blessed to have great people living next to us and two houses over, but we didn’t have much in common with the rest of the street. Many were retired, others didn’t have children, one had a giant blown-up photo of our 45th President’s inauguration spectacular.

We were looking forward to having our new start. Our integration here, however, has been complicated by the area’s lack of concern about catching or spreading coronavirus. And before I climb too high on my horse: we’ve been letting our kids play with other kids in close proximity, though always outside. We’re not cowering in the house — we hang out on the porch, go for walks, visit stores when necessary —but the overall lack of care around here is concerning at this phase of the pandemic. We still lack for social interaction, without a safe way to start to build connections. I’m lonely still, but in a bigger house.

I came across this article yesterday— The healing power of nature: The idea that immersing yourself in forests and nature has a healing effect is far more than just folk wisdom. Interesting timing, as I’d been thinking about my relationship with nature over the past fewo months. I’d noticed that my stress levels relaxed some when I got outside in the trees, and I’d started to wonder why. Was it something from childhood? Was it down at the “lizard brain” level? Regardless, I want to capture more of that feeling of wellness.

If our situation had been different and I’d had more time to thoroughly explore Holly Springs/Apex/Cary in person before moving, I would’ve bought a house with more woods surrounding it. This is a fine home, and it will serve us well (especially as we work and attend school remotely), but I already feel that it’s not The One. They clear-cut a nice pine forest to build these homes, and now everything bakes in the sun.

Maybe we need a getaway place in the woods — perhaps the mountains of Western North Carolina — for long weekends and holidays…

In the meantime, we’ll start venturing out to county and state parks in the area, for distancing, for exercise, and for wellness.