Into the Wild

I have a type A personality all day long, every day. It's a blessing and a curse all wrapped into one. I have an unrelenting drive to work hard and succeed, but I also have a tendency to get stressed out, upset, anxious, impatient, and all other negative words associated with being a type A personality. I suppose you could say those negative things are the ying to my yang keeping everything in balance.

There is a very short list of atmospheres I can emerge myself into that seems to melt all of the negative aspects away of being a type A personality. Time and time again, the one place that gets my mind right is to dive into nature. Just a half an hour or so alone in the woods does wonders for my mindset. There is something about the silence, birds singing and the rustling of leaves that helps me to realize how small my worries are in the whole scheme of things.

Did you know that doctors throughout 34 states here in the US are now prescribing time in nature to their patients? No joke. Nature has officially been recognized as a promising and effective approach to interactive healthcare. Doctors have found that those suffering form high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression benefit greatly from time spent in green spaces. It's not just in the United States prescribing nature to their patients, this is something that is taking hold around the world!

Nearly two decades ago when our family took ten acres of the family farm and dedicated to turning it back to nature, we were called crazy. Well...it turns out we weren't crazy at all, in fact we were on to something cutting edge long before most others even recognized it.

Over the last few years we have had couples tell us that our nature trails were exactly what they needed for their wedding day. One bride went as far as telling us that she was on the verge of having a panic attack on her wedding day and that's when she decided to go for a walk in the trees to calm her nerves. Upon returning from our trails she said that she felt like a completely different person and said “let's do this!” followed by a high five!

Last year we were recognized by the National Wildlife Federation for the work we have done in creating space for nature to thrive and this is something that we take a great deal of pride in. So, if you're feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, take a short amount of time alone on our nature trails. It's just what the doctor ordered.