WE DO THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY

Our western lifestyle affords us the luxury of slowing things down and pulling back from the speedway of the urban culture. We thrive on self-reliance, the outdoors and physical work. But sometimes those elements have their downside.

Often we live miles away from the grocery store, the doctor, or the bank. Winter storms and wild weather take their toll on man and beast – and equipment. Many hours are spent toiling in frigid temperatures plowing snow, repairing waterers or weeding the garden in the hot sun.

The children feel it too. School bus rides are lengthy and mornings are early. Distances between friends are miles, not minutes. And everyone can use a well-deserved break – from physical stressors, finances, and basic day-today pressure.

It can be simple. Children gravitate to empty boxes, fidgets, role-play and the newest sensory attraction; Slime. It stimulates the senses, enhances motor skills, introduces basic chemistry and enhances awareness. Creativity and focus are the key elements, and this type of play replaces computer and television screen time.

Adults tend to gravitate to more complex conduits; the garden, seeding, watering, weeding, and nurturing growth, appreciating the fruits of their labours; driving down back country roads; checking the landscape, watching wildlife, taking it slow; rodeos, with their heart-racing competitions, physical contests and sensory stimulation, or conversely, wrapping one’s self into a thick, sherpa blanket and curling up with a glass of wine and WHR.

And then there is the back-country… the quiet of solitude; the whiff of charred spruce in a wood-burning stove; the crackle of combustion as the flames lick up a new log. The quiet is consoling, the flames are mesmerizing, and the experience is wholesome, fostering a sense of survival and revival.

Whatever your outlet, those fascinations generate a host of beneficial reactions. Neurotransmitters trigger endorphins, which, in turn trigger activity, a sense of gratification and well-being. They may initiate romance and stimulate a variety of new relationships and experiences.

Whatever your medium, the release of endorphins may assist in reducing depression, regulating your appetite, reducing stress and anxiety, and improving your overall self-image. Enjoy the ride. Take the backroads.

~ By Debbie MacRae