A Walk in the Park

On any given day, you can find us walking or running along the ocean. And as much as I absolutely love living so close to the water, and being able to hear the waves crash, and smell that salty air. . .sometimes you just need a little greenery in your life. And yesterday morning was exactly one of those kinds of days. I woke up craving that soul-freeing feeling of being surrounded by lush, green nature. And so we decided to take our walk over to Balboa Park.

From the moment that we set foot into the Park, I was immediately reminded why we used to go there so often. The beautiful trees, the green grass, the plant life – being surrounded by all of that thriving nature really feeds your soul in a different sort of way.

Over the past few years, my Mom has become an advocate for “forest bathing.” And no, I’m not talking about literally taking a bubble bath in the forest. (Although that sounds pretty lovely too.) Forest bathing is about going into nature, immersing yourself, and literally soaking in your surroundings. It’s about allowing nature to heal you from the inside out.

And while I was never really able to put words or a phrase to it, forest bathing is exactly what we experience when we go camping, or when we visit my parents. After being surrounded by all of that green and wild nature, your mind and body truly feel the deepest sense of renewal.

Our early morning walk through Balboa Park was not exactly the forest bathing experience that I was hoping or yearning for. But you know what? It still did my soul a whole lot of good. Just getting outside and being surrounded by that kind of nature truly gave me the mental refresh that I was craving. And while not everything in life can be expected to be a walk in the park, it turns out that a walk in the park mostly definitely is exactly that.