By Senior Coach Jana
Approximate Reading Time: 4-6 min
Coach Jana and her 4 kids and husband
Taking the leap AS A FAMILY
Walking through the wet leaves on the ground this morning, grateful that the much needed rain has finally arrived, I thought back to another time in my life that the rain brought such a feeling of relief. Thirteen years ago, I spent my first autumn on the west coast. My husband and I had decided to move our young family away from the harsh winters of the prairies where our time recreating outdoors was limited by our tiny humans, so vulnerable to the cold. So when the rains began that autumn, and many locals began grumbling and booking flights to sunnier locations, we gratefully pulled out our rain gear and headed out the door to explore our new paradise. Hours were spent each day walking, hiking, exploring the beaches, getting absolutely drenched and loving every minute of it. We were thrilled that we could be moving and exploring with our kids and feel so alive throughout the fall and winter. We embodied gratitude, excitement and curiosity for the amazing place we now called home.
There were, admittedly, moments that made me hesitate, such as having to face the soaking wet kids and gear when we returned home, but once we were out in it, all hesitation was lost. The rain was invigorating, improved our moods, and connected us to our Earth and its seasons.
Early family outings
INSPIRING EACH OTHER
At first, many of our new neighbours and friends thought we were ‘the crazy new people’ but as time passed, their questioning looks changed to more curious ones. Gradually we would see more and more of them heading out, raingear on, and adventure-ready. Then, to our surprise, the most beautiful comments of appreciation began rolling our way; that we reminded them all of how fortunate they are to live on this incredible coast and how they felt empowered by getting out and moving their bodies in the rain instead of hiding inside from it. This was a poignant reminder to us of the power that our actions can have on others and it filled our hearts, knowing we were making a positive impact on our new community.
Like this story, inspiring others through our actions is one of the values we hold dear at Restore Human. Our goal is to empower and inspire our clients and our community to get outdoors and get moving with nature, no matter the weather. As a society, our connection to nature has diminished each decade, having grave consequences on our emotional and physical well-being as well as the health of Mother Earth. Richard Louv, author of “The Nature Principle'' describes nature-deficit disorder as the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: “diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses.” He argues that without a connection to nature, people lose interest in protecting it.
HEALTHY HUMANS HEALTHY PLANET
With the drought conditions on the west coast lasting over 100 days into the last half of October, we need not look far to see the consequences of climate change on our community. So I invite you to join us in inspiring your friends, families, and communities by getting outdoors this rainy season to move and connect with nature. It is imperative that we inspire as many people as we can to do so because the health and wellbeing of us all depends on it.
I hope to see you out there in the rain; finding your adventure (and I hope your friends and neighbors are watching!)
Walking with nature
