Getting in touch with nature

For many years, one of my mottos was “Outside = danger.” Its origin goes back to when I was a kid. I would rather stay inside, read a book, watch TV, or play video games than go outside. Inside, I had control of my surroundings. It was cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and I could isolate myself from people. Inside was comfortable.

What was so special about going outside? Who knows what the weather would be like? At certain times of the year, there were always mosquitos. The neighbor kids would usually be out, which meant I would get cajoled into playing some dumb game. Don’t forget the looming threat of some windowless van driving by slowly with a man offering candy in exchange for taking us for a ride to some place fun. Sometimes I walked to elementary school, so I was well-instructed on how to deal with strangers.

In high school, I maintained my disdain for all things outdoors. I scoffed at the idea of camping or hiking. I can’t swim, and I wanted no part of water and still don’t. Why do you think I live in the desert? I believe water = danger, but that’s a topic for another time. In college, apart from walking outside from class to class, I was perfectly happy watching coeds play frisbee through the window from my lofty perch in Parks Tower.

When I moved to Arizona in 1999, I changed my perception of the outdoors. There’s no snow…