What Inspired Your Love of the Outdoors?

A few months ago, I was talking with a neighbor about our shared love of the outdoors. I asked her, “What made you interested in the outdoors?” I’m always curious about people’s answer to this question. She contemplated for a brief moment before saying, “I don’t know, I just am.”

Yesterday as I was outside watering my plants she came up to me and said, “I want you to know I have been thinking about your question.” Shoot, what did I ask her?  She continued, “When you asked me how I came to be interested in the outdoors, I didn’t have an answer. And I really appreciate you asking me because it inspired me to go back and think about it.”

“Go on,” I encouraged. It’s not every day I say something inspirational.

“My father worked in the oil industry in West Texas and some parts of New Mexico, and growing up we lived all over that region. He was always bringing lizards, snakes, and horned toads into the house to show us.”

Her father’s own curiosity about life in the desert, or his love of watching her squeal when he brought a snake in the house, resulted in her lifelong interest.

Often seemingly small or insignificant experiences–like seeing a horned lizard up close or catching frogs at your grandparent’s pond–are what first hook us. For me, it was receiving Discovery Channel’s wildlife photographs in the mail, riding in the back of a pickup at our farm, and taking train rides in Rocky Mountain National Park when I was too young to hike.

With this blog, I hope to help more women spend time in nature and collect memories that fuel their love for nature.

Question for the audience: I want to know, if you love the outdoors, what first sparked your interest?

If you don’t love the outdoors, I will forgive you just this once, but let’s go camping. I think I could change your mind!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!