Has your desire to connect with nature increased as you got older?

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esp735@reddit

My desire to stop wearing clothes has increased as I age. Happy to do that outside too.

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CountHonorius@reddit

Not really. I live in the woods, maybe that's why - lot of crazy things in them trees, as they say. Beats cities in the 2020s, though, which are madhouses.

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Absolutely. Been living in an urban environment for the last ten years and feeling it more every year. I want to see mountains and water from my balcony, not endless high rises. Dreaming of a little house with a few fruit trees!

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Oiggamed@reddit

It’s calling me back. My day to return to nature completely draws closer every day.

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BarefootMarauder@reddit

Yes, nature is my church. But dang, the ticks are driving me insane!

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Alternative-Law4626@reddit

Not yet, but I’m looking to feed that in retirement (which begins in 3 days).

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yarn_slinger@reddit

I know I’d just like to live by the water, preferably somewhere swimmable. Oh and have very few neighbours.

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Narrow-Research-5730@reddit

I've always been outside orientated.

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AppropriateDark5189@reddit

I’ve always been more outdoor oriented. It took me a while working in cities to afford a place that brought me closer to nature.

I found a property I could afford that needed a lot of caretaking. I’ve spent a lot of time cleaning it up. I also watch the sunset and sunrise most days if it’s not too cloudy. I have a creek that I walk by with my dogs when I just need a break from work.

I’m also about a 15 minute drive from downtown (city of 350,000). But there are also 1000s of acres of farms next to me.

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Entire-Order3464@reddit

That's all I've ever wanted to do. I've built my life around it.

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Phantom_minus@reddit

I think it Depends. and by Depends, I mean the adult diaper I have to wear if I venture too far beyond the limits of an available bathroom.

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Stigger32@reddit

No. Not in the slightest.

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Bubbly_Following7930@reddit

No, it's never been my thing and that hasn't changed. We don't even sit in our backyard.

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EwokNuggets@reddit

Yup! I’ve started camping in a tent by myself. LOVE IT

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mjh8212@reddit

I’m disabled but love my backyard. I sit on the deck and there’s 14 deer in the yard. I live on private property and we can’t mow due to too many rocks in the yard so it’s like a field. There’s lots of critters and birds. Just sitting out there is peaceful.

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formercotsachick@reddit

Yes! Just started paddling nearly every weekend in the summer last year. There is nothing like a day on the water.

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swingandalongdrive@reddit

I started gardening last year. Love it.

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sas317@reddit

Not me. Outside is beautiful, but it's so boring.

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Brunhilde27@reddit

If anything it has decreased, with the exception of seeing the sea.

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unhappyparty73@reddit

Without a doubt. Grew up with the outdoors being a huge part of my life and then only a small portion of it for 25 years. The last 5 years have seen a complete reprioritizing of my downtime and future plans to spend more time outdoors.

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Honeybee71@reddit

Yes! I love gardening, Snow Whiting, and walking more than ever

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freerangeXkid@reddit

I left a major metropolitan area over 10 years ago and moved to a rural mountain area. Now I have to drive an hour in any direction just to get to an interstate. I absolutely love it and do not miss the city one bit

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WaterwingsDavid@reddit

I would LOVE to flee this large metropolitan area im in. Im finding as I age that the crowds/ noise really stress me out! Id much prefer to be out on the country where it's peaceful and quiet. Just trees, chirping birds and no traffic!

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freerangeXkid@reddit

It wasn't easy. I walked away from a corporate world that paid well and had to change spending habits dramatically. The benefits have been priceless: No more blood pressure meds, significant weight loss, general happiness, and I had to learn more self reliance (fixing cars & home projects...YouTube is my friend)

Not to mention that I went from a cookie cutter split level small house with .25 acres, a half million dollar mortgage, and an hour long 8 mile commute to a fixer upper house built in the late 1700s and several acres that cost me 1/10th of my old house.

While not easy I would recommend to anyone to take the plunge

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WaterwingsDavid@reddit

Thats a huge change! Ive been contemplating walking away from a 25 year career-not because the job is bad, but this urban environment is overwhelming me and causing me a tremendous about of anxiety/ depression. I just want a small acreage property far from the incessant crime and chaos. But as you said, not an easy decision!

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Kristylane@reddit

Yes. I now live in the Black Hills.

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EliasButlerPhotos@reddit

Mother Nature is willing to renew Her relationship with you, and most everybody..

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Illustrious-Egg-5839@reddit

I’ve been an avid fisherman since I was little. I also do some light hiking and occasional camping.

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LayerNo3634@reddit

We retired and moved to the sticks. I sit on my patio and watch the deer.

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Bobby_Globule@reddit

Cubicle life will do that, I've found. I like just being outside. Standing there is enough for me usually.

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fd1Jeff@reddit

Yes. I lived in Chicago for years without much money. Couldn’t afford to go anywhere. I drove to a relatives place in Northern Michigan. Suddenly, seeing all the trees and open green spaces really got to me.

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Perplexio76@reddit

I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains but now live in the 3rd largest metropolitan area in the US. When I go back to visit it's like a switch flips. I guess you can take the man out of the mountains, but not the mountains out of the man. My maternal grandfather was a game warden and one of my paternal great grandfathers was an Adirondack guide, so the mountains are genetic for me.

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threedogdad@reddit

yes, I live on a dirt road in the woods, and usually go deeper into the woods for vacation

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RealtorRVACity@reddit

I was a big out in nature kid/teen but once I started driving that pretty much all changed. As I get older I am far more aware of hurting myself/falling etc so I limit my outdoor activity to pretty much mowing the lawn and pruning as needed. It took me almost 2 years to recover from a shoulder injury and I am not looking to repeat any of that nonsense.

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Sintered_Monkey@reddit

Yep. Mountain biking and trail running for me too. I'm about to retire in 2 months, so I'll actually be able to do it during weekdays too.

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phoenixdiceflow@reddit (OP)

Nice. My weekends now consist of exploring trails in my city that I didn’t know existed before. You get to learn a lot about your city via mountain biking.

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Sintered_Monkey@reddit

I was always a terrible bike handler, even back when I was racing a lot. These days I'm a lot more into gravel cycling, because it matches my bike handling skills better. I built up a new gravel bike for my upcoming free time.

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Mom_who_drinks@reddit

If anything, I’m less inclined to be outdoors. The older I get, the more I realize that I’m a city mouse.

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LeighofMar@reddit

So much so that I've gotten into gardening. Never had a houseplant until I was 42. Now my house is a jungle oasis and my garden is thriving and ever expanding. Going to build a vegetable patch soon. Long bike rides thru the park trails that wind by the river and past pastures makes me happy.

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phoenixdiceflow@reddit (OP)

I share that similar feeling when I’m riding.

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NoAbbreviations290@reddit

Mine never left

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ViewfromMyOfcWindow@reddit

Yes, because I finally have time for myself.

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automator3000@reddit

My desire to connect with nature has changed as I’ve gotten older, not really increased. Young adult me saw nature as something that you had to leave the city to get into. Now I’m able to connect into the nature that is all around me.

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w3woody@reddit

I took up birding. My exercise routine involves being outdoor on a recumbent bike for an hour. I exchanged my desktop computer for a laptop (I work from home) so I can work on the back deck on nice days. I'm about to reorganize my at-home office so I have a better view out the window.

So... probably?

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Genny415@reddit

It's been the opposite for me. I'd prefer to never be bitten by another mosquito or other insect or spider ever again.

Nature is trying to kill me and I'm not giving it any opportunities.

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fridayimatwork@reddit

Ha we’re moving from a condo to a house. I will miss being on 20th floor and almost never seeing a bug here

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SatanicPanic619@reddit

Not really, but I do find birds way more interesting

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JonnyCanuck71@reddit

After living in cities most of my life we now live on 5 wooded acres with our 2 horses , 15 minute drive on the highway to the nearest town

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BMisterGenX@reddit

sort of.

I never had any real interest in camping when I was younger. Now that I'm in my 50s I'd love to try some cushy gentrified version of camping. Maybe a cabin with a fire pit and lots of beer. Still comfortable but close to nature

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Useful-Badger-4062@reddit

Yes. I live in the Pacific Northwest and it’s only intensified. Luckily, I don’t have to go far at all to commune with nature. I also talk to bees and developed a fondness for spiders.

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EnjoyingTheRide-0606@reddit

I started with bird feeders during the shutdown years. Then I built squirrel feeders because they attack bird feeders when not fed snacks. I adopted two box turtles in May 2020. Now I have 8! It’s so cool to see cruising around the yard! I bird watch and talk to squirrels and crows.

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HilariousBosch@reddit

I saw sea stacks for the first time along the Oregon coast about a decade ago, and I wish I could live near some. They allow me to let go of my problems and feel like I'm one with nature. I've since experience them in Oregon (again), Big Sur, Maine, and Iceland.

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Ray_The_Engineer@reddit

I've always loved the outdoors, I've backpacked thousands of miles over the years. Now, being semi-retired and living in the country, I do spend more time outside, simply because I can. I have a ritual where I take my coffee out to porch in the morning, and simply stand there and breathe for a while, while listening to the wind and watching the birds. It's a favorite part to my day.

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aboutmovies97124@reddit

Not really. Had lots of it as a kid.

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Affectionate-Map2583@reddit

I don't think it's really increased but has been there all along. I hike with my dog or trail ride with my horse often. I live on 6 acres and have a garden, and a cool little intermittent stream at the bottom of my pasture. It starts with a marshy spring, and has two waterfalls about 18"-2' high. It's only about a foot or two wide and a few inches deep and it partially dries up in the summer, but it's a pretty cool collection of features for only being maybe 700' long before it leaves my property.

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Wild_Read9062@reddit

This hit me big last year. It started off with neighborhood walks, then trails, then parks, then fields, then cemeteries. Momma, I’m coming home.

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chimpyjnuts@reddit

Yes! I loved the forests as a kid, but I never thought of it as 'being with nature' - it was just a place of freedom with no adults and nothing to break.

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Inca-Vacation@reddit

we have a good park system where i live and i get in 10000 steps every day it's not raining. definitely lowers the cortisol and helps the health metrics.

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yanknga@reddit

Yes. I’ve always loved nature but wanted to live in big cities which I’ve done. Now, I recently bought a nice piece of land in Virginia where I’ll retire to and it 1.5 hrs from the nearest city and the area doesn’t even have billboards. I’ll just want to enjoy the slow and simple without all the annoying shit that comes with US populated areas.

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blackcat81374@reddit

I've always loved trail running and got into pretty heavily in my 30s and 40s, but kinds trailed off after some heavy competitions. It took a hiatus for about 9 years, and now I'm 52, craving that nature run all the time. I'm slowly getting back into it but not racing anymore. I want to release that heavy sports mentality so I can run into my old age.

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Formal-Rip-1221@reddit

Absolutely. COVID shut down my gym for a while, so I took up hiking out of necessity. I still hike for enjoyment

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Sallydog24@reddit

I think my desire to connect with nature isn't from age so much as it's from owning a GSP

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phxor@reddit

My desire to not be around people has increased with age, hence the desire to be in the middle of nowhere.. now, get off my lawn!!

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akmoney@reddit

I was big into mountain biking in my 30s and 40s but now I find myself hiking more. Partially because my eyesight isn't as good, partially because I have a greater fear of serious injury (I have several friends with multiple ER visits) and partially because my wife enjoys hiking and it's something we do together.

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Apprehensive_Ant4596@reddit

I grew up out in the sticks in the northeast, so playing in the woods was a huge part of my youth. As I've gotten older, works constantly and parent 2 kids I don't often get the chance to be out there as much as I used to, But when I do, it's like a veil lifts, I feel instantly at peace and an overwhelming sense of belonging.

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pocketdare@reddit

I love hiking and the outdoors but I always have.

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Fresh-Pin5166@reddit

Yes. And it's equal parts a desire to be in nature and a desire to just be away from screens, work, and capitalism.

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MonkeyMan18975@reddit

"We have two lives; the second begins when we realize we only have one" -Confucius

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

I have never disconnected. I has raised half farm kid. I camp, hunt, hike and walk all the time in the country now. I bought a place in the country in 1999 and haven't looked back. I slept with the windows open last night and the bugs and frogs/toads were so loud I had a hard time falling asleep.

I have said this before on this sub. I disconnect from tech and work at 3:30 Friday afternoon and don't use it again until Monday morning back at work. No internet at home besides on the cell phone and I don't have a smart phone.

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Ok-Lingonberry-8261@reddit

Yes.

I started hiking and doing photography during the covid lockdowns, and I still try to get out to the woods or wetlands every weekend I can.

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No_Survey_5496@reddit

Nope. Between my job and military past, Mother Nature and I have had enough boding time.

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SmokedLimburger@reddit

As I’ve grown older, my time connecting to nature has dramatically decreased even though my desire to connect with nature has grown. Maybe if I considered Friday football games, marching band performances, and soccer games connecting with nature my desire would feel more sated.