Let's Go Out: #janueverydayoutside 2021

Let’s get outside together!

#amyshereforthis

The fire crackles in the fire pit as we settle into lawn chairs. Steam rolls out of the crockpot when the lid is lifted for mulled wine. Our propane heater glows in the corner and happy chatter moves across the circle. Our faces are masked, but smiling. We are together and we are outside. 

“We’re learning a new appreciation for the outdoors and the freedom and clarity of mind found there.”

#amyshereforthis

My book club, like most other gatherings in my life, came to a halt in March when the pandemic hit. We met the week before the shutdown, but not again until a couple of months later when we resumed discussion over Zoom. In June, we started meeting in-person outdoors, seated spaced apart in camp chairs and without our usual elaborate spread of snacks and drinks.

As the cold days of winter loomed we wondered aloud to one another, Are we going to keep this up? Do we keep meeting as the temperatures keep dropping? Do we go back to Zoom book club or do we cease meeting all together? 

Like many others, my friends and I had video call fatigue and were desperate for connection with one another. So we kept meeting. My husband and I bought a propane heater for our patio. We all bundled up and on a below-freezing evening in mid-December, we were still out there trading books for Christmas gifts and enjoying one another’s company.

We were together. We were outside. 

We’re learning a new appreciation for the outdoors and the freedom and clarity of mind found there. 

***

At the end of last year, I had just re-read There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather, a book I love about raising kids with Scandinavian principles on getting outdoors no matter the weather. I was inspired to try to emulate those ideas in my own life for myself and my family, thus #janueverydayoutside was born. I came up with the challenge to get outside every single day in January, no matter the weather. I decided to share my idea on social media and invite others to participate. Every day in January, I posted a photo or video of my outside time. Seeing others do the same was such a delight and such an excellent way to start the year. 

Now 12 months later, we’ve all had to get more creative with our outdoor spaces. In COVID times, indoor gatherings bring the complications of risk, so many people have opted for outside-only hangs. My book club has been meeting outside for months now, with November and December’s book discussions including the aforementioned fire pits, outdoor heaters, and blankets. 

“This winter doesn’t have to be one of stale isolation.”

#amyshereforthis

In this year when we’re all feeling starved for connection and adventure, we need the outdoors more than ever. This winter doesn’t have to be one of stale isolation.

Let’s get outside together! 

If you’re looking for a place to start, might I suggest you join me for #janueverydayoutside? Here are a few of my family’s favorite ways to get out even when it’s cold:

Neighborhood walks to see Christmas lights or just stroll in the sunset. 

In December we started going on Christmas light walks after dark. I know Christmas is over, but I’m hoping that the neighbors all just have an unspoken agreement to keep our lights up later this year. They really do add a lot of cheer on these days with such early sunsets. Take a warm drink and enjoy your neighborhood!

Going for a run with friends.

I’ve written at length about how running is my favorite thing, so I won’t do that here, but I do want to reiterate its benefits as far as time with people and time outside. At least two, often three mornings per week, I begin my day going for a run with friends. These runs have kept me connected to friends I otherwise might not have seen much during the pandemic and they get me outside first thing. It’s the best! 

Bundling up at the playground. 

My kids love playgrounds any time, so bundling them up and heading over to a park is an easy crowd-pleaser this time of year. The plus to visiting playgrounds on winter days is that they are rarely crowded, which is even more of a benefit in these pandemic times. 

Elephant Rocks State Park. 

My family spent the morning at Elephant Rocks earlier this week and it was so lovely. In contrast to the crowds of summer and fall at this park, we had plenty of space and only encountered a couple other groups on the trail and rocks. Our kids climbed and explored happily for a couple hours before enjoying some hot chocolate and heading home. 

“We were together. We were outside.”

#amyshereforthis

We’re hoping for some fun snow adventures this January too, but you can never really count on that in St. Louis. 

A few more spots we love to visit: Powder Valley Nature Center, Emmenegger Nature Park, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Kiener Plaza and the Arch grounds, and of course Tower Grove Park. 

So what do you say? Want to join me getting outside this January? If we can’t be together, we can at least do this together! If you’re up for the challenge, tag #janueverydayoutside, me @amyegrass,  and @theportergroupstl on Instagram so we can all share our progress!