Gratitude for place

A couple of entries ago I commented how I often fantasize about leaving the city. But today I was reminded how lucky I am to live, with my family,  in the urban neighbourhood that I do.

Spring feels like it’s well on its way though not officially here until next week. It was the warmest day that we have had this year. Outside a chorus of birds were singing, of which I identified robins, chickadees, woodpeckers, and crows plus at least one unfamiliar song. My husband was feeling unwell today after a vaccination, and I am still getting over the sniffles (not Covid) so I decided to do something solo with the girls. I figured anywhere we could drive to would be insanely busy, so we decided to just walk/bike/scoot to local playgrounds. Best idea ever! We were out more than three hours, and the girls were riding or playing for most of it.

Our first stop was a small playground tucked in a corner that we call “the secret playground” because it is unexpected. It is surrounded by tall trees on on side and a quiet alley on the other, so very quiet (and frequented by woodpeckers).  We played there for a while then moseyed over to a larger and busier playground on a hill with a view of the mountains. Finally we checked out a local pump track for the first time, which my three year old in particular was keen to try on her strider bike. 

After I came home I listened to  this very enjoyable podcast from Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying. Their first topic was a study that claimed to find evidence that living near trees reduced anti depressant medication (in other words, depression) particularly among lower income people. From there they wondered what other factors might contribute, for example: 

• Being able to view and hear animals 
• Seeing the night sky
• Viewing a horizon line, especially mountains or coastline 
• Living near water 

Anecdotally, I 100% agree with all of these hypotheses. I have always lived near young and mature trees and can’t even accept a landscape as decent without them (unless it had cactuses: I might make peace with that). I do believe our neighbourhood would turn into a forest without human intervention, as anything and everything grows here. I frequently can catch glimpses of the mountains while out on errands, albeit not from my house, and it gives me both a sense of peace in place and a sense that adventure is always possible.

As I mentioned previously I hear a plethora of birds anytime I step outside, especially in spring, and it never fails to raise my spirits. We also have rabbits, skunks, and apparently a bobcat or two, by report. I lived for a while in Athens, Greece in my mid 20s and while there were many interesting things about that environment, I noticed with pain the lack of biodiversity. The most noticeable wildlife were stray dogs and cats and it gave the place a sad, two dimensional feel in my view. While no urban environment has given me a view of the Milky Way, the air in my province is generally clear and unlike Athens, you can see for miles most days and a short drive at night offers views of the stars too.

What Athens did have was the Mediterranean Sea, and most of my leisure was walking along the coastline by the surf or swimming at beaches. At home, we are not within walking distance of water but a very short drive takes us to parks and a trail system around G— Reservoir, a large artificial lake that is beautiful in every season. Sailing and canoeing on the reservoir is also available.

We have talked lately (not seriously) about whether we should move one day. Our house is small and older and not always convenient to life inside. On the other hand, days like today remind me how amazing our neighbourhood is and how much our quality of life and mental health is likely being helped by our environment. It may well be far more important than our physical house. Something to think about, very carefully.