out in nature
Nature is not a place to visit . It is home .
~ Gary Snyder
By Dave Ritter and Dana Eckerstrom
I
first realized the power of the outdoors as a child . As a person with dyslexia and a healthy dose of ADHD , an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , the natural world was where I was able to be calm and at my best . Many of the seldom recognized strengths of dyslexia and ADHD were beneficial in the outdoors and they taught me lessons that I built my life upon . For example , I had boundless energy , an ability to problem solve , and strong spatial reasoning . I could make informed decisions with these tools , whether that was knowing my way back home , or figuring out how to climb back down a tree . There was no waiting
Dave Ritter around , like in school where you had to wait to see how you did on an assignment or test .
Unfortunately , the immediate feedback nature provides was sometimes in the form of scraped knees or bloody elbows . Imagine when you face a rock wall to climb , if you choose the wrong path or make a wrong decision , the consequences are instantaneous , but then you have the ability to try again ( hopefully ). It is known that nature can be unforgiving at times , but most often it is a great teacher , one of my favorites in fact .
Nature is also a great equalizer ; it treats everyone the same . Neither your age , gender , nor race get factored into nature ’ s response to your actions .
Working in outdoor education at Bretton Woods Recreation Center affords me a great opportunity to connect with all different types of people and help them bring out strengths and qualities that they may not have even known they had . I get to help children and adults foster their relationship with the outdoors and put them on a path of exploring and enjoying
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