What is one thing you can’t live without?
Some people find their happy place in a shopping centre. Mine is more likely to involve a walking track, fresh air, spectacular views and a steep hill that makes me question my judgement.
I love the outdoors. I enjoy being active, exploring unfamiliar landscapes and being as close to nature as possible.
Yesterday, I was talking with a friend who comes from a country deeply affected by conflict. He longs for the day when he can return home to visit his family. He asked me what I would most like to see in his country. The history? The culture? The architecture? The food?
I said nature. ‘Me too,’ he replied.
His homeland is a country of extraordinary contrasts, from vast deserts to verdant forests and towering mountains. While its history and culture fascinate me, it is the natural landscape that captures my imagination. There is so much more to a country than the troubles that dominate its headlines.
There is something about being outdoors that restores me. Standing before the vastness of Antarctica or looking across the valleys from Kanangra Walls reminds me that I’m part of something much larger than myself.
Much of life is spent meeting expectations, fulfilling responsibilities and trying to achieve something worthwhile. But nature makes no such demands. The mountains don’t care about my qualifications, the forests aren’t impressed by my job title, and the oceans have no interest in my ambitions. There is something wonderfully liberating about that.
Fortunately, I don’t need to travel to Antarctica or climb a mountain to experience it. Sometimes an ordinary local walk is enough to restore my perspective.
Perhaps that’s what I can’t live without. Not mountains, forests or oceans themselves, but the regular reminder that I am not the centre of the universe.
It’s a surprisingly comforting thought.
What is one thing you can’t live without?
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