Recreation

Take a Break

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My sister Rachel hanging out in our front yard with our infamous cat, Floof.

Life is stressful. Especially in American culture, I’ve found that our time is filled with a list of things to do and accomplish. Relaxation seems to be either a thing we have to squeeze into our schedules, or somewhat of a silhouette of its true meaning. When we spend too much time trying to seek out relaxation in the form of Netflix, surfing the internet, and picking up the controller, we don’t feel satisfied and refreshed afterwards, and the list pops up again.

My suggestion? Pick up a book. Go outside and take a walk. If it’s dark out, grab a friend and go stargazing. There are so many fun and creative things to do outside of screen time, if you choose to do something out of the ordinary, you’ll feel much better for it.

Sometimes you have to laugh

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Ben hiking out to our camping spot. We spent the night on the right butte.

With the intention of evading the onslaught of homework this weekend, my brother and I decided to go camping. A slight breeze sifted through the air as we stepped out of our little 2001 Toyota Corolla and into the Pawnee Grasslands of Northeastern Colorado. As we peered into the grassy landscape we could make out two massive towers of rock looming in the distance, sentinels of some unknown land beyond. Obviously they were begging to be climbed, so Ben and I trekked through the shin high grass to do just that. We almost gave up, but finally managed to find a primitive ladder carved into the tan rock on the far side of one of the buttes.

Unlike the mountainous expanse that usually baffles me when I go hiking above timberline, this view was quite different. Stark grassland stretched as far as the eye could see. The breeze had picked up, but was still somewhat bearable, so we set up our tent on the top of the tower, thinking it would be a perfect view of the stars at night (It was more a great view of the bright moon instead). The sun set. The wind picked up, and before we knew it we were trying to sleep in a tent that acted more like a sail than anything else, moving at will. I woke up in the middle of the night to the thin material separating me from the elements periodically clobbering the back of my head. As much as I tried to shift away from the side of the tent, some other part somehow found a way to batter me again. I remember vividly smiling and laughing to myself in the middle of the night due to my useless effort to get away from the wind. Finally, after God decided he’d had enough fun, I saw a faint light brimming the horizon and soon enough the sun peeked its golden face above the grassy fields.

Thinking of that night brings laughable memories of what could have been a terrible experience. Life is molded by perspective.

Bike More

I have the privilege of living in the wonderful City of Fort Collins, CO. As November comes into full swing, the last of the fall leaves desert their respective trees, making skeletons of what was once green and lush. Though the onset of Winter is near, the weather still remains somewhat temperate (unusual for this time of year). I love winter, but I’m really enjoying the chance to take advantage of the weather and bike this late in the season.

Do you have the opportunity to get outside on your bike?  If you’re work or school is within close proximity, take the time to try biking there. I guarantee you won’t regret it.

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Biking to campus along the Mason Trail, in Fort Collins.

Fads

I know it’s been a little while since Pokemon Go hit smartphones around the nation, but I thought I would give my thoughts on this subject.

To me, it’s interesting to see just how fast fads can take shape in the modern world. The internet has made it extremely easy to see what the latest fasion, gadget, news item, or viral video is beginning to attain popularity. Pokemon Go sets a shining example of just this. In slightly over a week this app exploded its way throughout the United States, leaving parks strewn with “zombie” like people engrossed in their game.

After talking with a friend and proponent of the game I was still unconvinced of downloading the app. I can see that it gets people out of their houses, into the fresh air, a bonus of the app. Developers of the app also have extreme influence over where to send these players, mainly placing Pokestops in parks and natural areas. This is all good, but for me, in an age of distraction, the least of my concerns is dumping my time into another sinkhole. I’m sure with a little more of this time, we can foster creativity and find other more productive ways of entertaining ourselves. Until then, Pokemon Go remains a fad that I’m sure will slowly fade into the library of fads before it.

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Two young people trying to play Pokemon Go on the top of my car. This is getting quite out of hand… (Thanks to Ben and Rachel, my brother and sister, for posing for this pic.)