They say spending time in nature can change your life. But in a world packed with indoor life pressures, how can you make getting outside just a part of who you are?
Welcome to the Humans Outside podcast, where we explore life in the great outdoors from our perch in Alaska, all while hearing from fascinating outdoor-minded guests.
How do you know where a good adventure stops and something that’s just not worth it starts? And can you tell when you’re avoiding something because it’s uncomfortable or if you’re avoiding it because it’s miserable and unnecessary, unrewarding suffering?
Those are the questions Amy is asking this week as she scraps a long-planned adventure while thinking about things she’s done that sound bad but end up being great in the end. So how can you make that decision?
[:45] As you know, I like predictability
[1:05] But sometimes I don’t
[1:25] Another thing to know
[1:40] One of the best things about going outside
[2:20] The problem with all of this
[2:45] What I am not doing while I record this
[3:30] Things I’m considering
[4:00] There really is a line
[4:07] But sometimes it’s not clear
[4:30] This one is really over the line
[4:45] Is there a good answer?
[5:30] The real key
What if instead of a “to do” list you made the opposite: a “not to do” list? Coming up with the things that should go on it is an exercise in self-awareness and the gift of perspective. And where can you really find that? Outside, of course! In this episode Amy discusses how she developed her “not to do” list and why heading into nature helped her make it happen.
[:59] Why this matters
[1:05] A little bit of background
[2:15] The magic of unplugging trips
[2:45] My love of “to do” lists
[3:18] What is a “not to do” list?
[4:00] What belongs on a “not to do” list
[4:25] How I created my list
[4:45] Some stuff Im not going to do anymore
[5:40] What belongs on your list?
It took months of planning, but Amy and her family headed out for a three-day, totally unplugged adventure in a dream Alaska spot: a wild lagoon off the coast in an Alaska State Park. From otters to birdsong, kayak trips to perhaps too many days without a shower, this adventure was a picturesque keeper in Halibut Cove Lagoon of Kachemak Bay State Park. Listen now.
[:45] An important question
[:55] Why we were MIA
[1:25] All the planning for this
[2:00] How we got there and tide problems
[3:05] About the public use cabins in Alaska
[3:45] About the Halibut Cove Lagoon Overlook Cabin
[4:12] Here’s something weird about this place
[4:45] Wildlife center and some wildlife sounds for you
[5:50] What we did out there
[6:05] The 3-Day Effect and how to learn more about that
[6:50] Why these trips matter for me
Happy solstice! Summer solstice is a big deal in Alaska where there’s plenty of reason to celebrate the endless light. But midnight sun is not why Amy celebrates it, exactly. In this episode Amy talks about why the solstice is important to her — and what she doesn’t do on it.
[:45] The first thing you need to know
[1:00] What this means for endless light
[1:35] What I mean when I say I celebrate summer solstice
[2:28] Why I celebrate these things
[2:50] What the solstice means to me
[3:00] (Am I old?!)
[3:20] The patterns it brings
You know how much Amy loves her small town and all the festivals and outdoor events it hosts. Thanks to one of the annual summer festivals, she’s been thinking about the ways nature creates a sense of place, and why that matters to her.
[:45] The place understanding created by going outside
[:55] A reminder that I love where I live (as if you forgot)
[1:39] Why a sense of place matters
[1:55] Lessons from a morning in town
[2:28] What other people have to do with this
[2:53] The emotional connection to the changes of nature
[3:40] The appreciation that drives it
[4:10] The safety of pattern
[4:30] The recent festival that was a reminder of all this
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans