Two of the best reasons to be outdoors is: outdoors is free, and we usually live outdoors together.
There are 3 billion people in this world who today are dependent upon open fires for cooking. But not us. We go outside to cook and rest and play, not because we have to but because we choose to. And most of the time we choose to do it together. Outdoor living is, more often than not, communal living. And it has been for as long as we’ve been human.
For most folks these days—because we’ve lost so much of our connection with nature—it actually takes a little more effort to be outside than in, which makes it seem perhaps a bit irrational and impractical. That’s only because the practicality of being outdoors is no longer rooted in short term survival or physical sustenance but rather in long term mental health and emotional sustenance.
We all need to remember that our outdoor spaces are as much our home as anything tucked under the roof. It’s a place to commune with Nature, with yourself, with your higher power, and especially with others. It’s an excuse to throw a party and celebrate your tribe.
That’s what makes outdoor living such a true extension, not just of your house, but of your home.
We don’t merely sit outside, we commune. We don’t just move around, we work and play. We don’t just eat, we dine. What’s the difference? When you dine, the main course is actually not food, but relationships.
It takes time to build great relationships. Like it takes time to build a great house. So find every excuse to do it.
Indulge the process. I always say … invite the tribe over for a meal and then cook that meal as slowly as you possibly can and eat it even slower than that.
Make it a ritual, do it often, and you just might find in the midst of building those moments you’re also building yourself a beautiful life.
Valor Morghulis everyone!