Go Outside

Thank you for being an outsider. You’ve either stumbled upon this by interest in our website, or by experiencing your very own little wild place… Thank you. Somewhere between ‘going outside to do something’ (run, walk, hike, bike, work, paddle, etc.) and ‘staying inside’ lies ‘going outside just to go.’ Remember, just being outside is healthy!

Calling yards, benches, lots, fields, and even corners of buildings “little wild places”, Ernie Atencio (SW Regional Director, National Parks Conservation Association) notes that getting outdoors may be more accessible than people think. Little wild places can be found everywhere.

Described in Norway as friluftsliv (loosely “free air life”) it’s part of a lifestyle. The outdoors can and should be enjoyed all year-round, maybe especially in winter. Nothing special needs to happen either; stand, sit, walk around, lie down, eno, drink coffee or hot chocolate, sleep. It’s all good outside.

Alone, or distanced when not alone, and regardless of weather, this also tracks well with what we know about the outdoors and COVID safety. And, little wild places and friluftsliv are more ways to do Fit.Green.Happy.®. So, let’s go! Show us your little wild places. Take pictures. Write about them on social media. Whatever. Send stuff to [email protected]. We’ll collect them and find a way to distribute them.

This matters.