Discovering the Outdoors

Truth be told, I have long thought of “nature” as something for white people. Like pretzels. Or granola. Twenty years ago, I went on my first camping trip, but not after a lot of agonizing about sleeping on the ground (and would there be a blow dryer?). 

Since that first camping trip, I’ve learned so much about who I become when I am outdoors. Walking under a forest canopy, scrambling up rocks to reach a panoramic vista, or writing near a waterfall – all of this fills me up.

Over the July 4th weekend, I discovered a new walk in upstate New York, where I now spend a lot of time. A little off the beaten path in an otherwise well-traveled preserve, my new favorite mile-long walk runs along a creek with small waterfalls and natural pools. 

The fact that I can even write the paragraphs above is strange to me. Who even am I? 

I am among many people of color who are embracing the outdoors as a healing space, a space that is both our right to explore and our responsibility to preserve. As birder Christian Cooper discovered in 2020, being outdoors is not a right Black people in particular can easily exercise. In response to the racist birdwatching incident, Ghanaian-American (maybe a No. 1?)  Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman co-founded Black Birders Week. And of course, Indigenous people, the original caretakers of this land, have long understood how important our relationship is to the earth.

In the coming weeks, keep cool by taking a walk in the woods. Or sitting by a stream, pond, or river. Visit the same place over and over. Or try a new place each time. Without headphones - so you can hear the birds. 

Enjoy,

Sayu

“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.”

― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants