Bethe, a.k.a. The Grass Stain Guru, probably doesn't know how much of an impact she's had on me and my family. I'm a thinker and Bethe's posts always challenge me. I like to say she "makes my brain hurt." Really. She has a knack for putting an idea out there and letting it hit the reader. I read her posts and say "Yes!" Then the idea sits with me until it SMACKS me in the face and I do something about it. Bethe's words are simple, yet inspiring and true.
I'd highly recommend visiting her blog and especially recommend her posts about:
- Redefining the "Super Kid" (even recommended this one to my own sis)
- Life is for Living: A Public Service Announcement
Perhaps my favorite recent post is about creating your own personal Outdoor Bill of Rights. Bethe shares her personal list on her Head Smart Body Smart post: Your Right to Play Outside. California is one of the states with a Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights in place. I'm happy to say my 8 year old can put a check by every point. My 5 year old gets a 9/10 (she hasn't played on a team yet).
So my friend, Debi, of GoExploreNature.com took Bethe's challenge and created an Outdoor Bill of Rights for herself. I did it, too. I wasn't planning to post it - but maybe we can get all of you to think about this a little bit and write one for yourself. I actually crafted my list in my ever-present spiral-bound notebook while we were camping.
Michele's Outdoor Bill of Rights
I have the right to:
- let bird song and sunshine be my alarm clock.
- listen to the river rush over rocks while I sleep.
- cook my dinner on a campfire and eat outdoors often.
- see nature through the eyes of my children.
- stop at every "VISTA POINT" and "SCENIC OUTLOOK."
- marvel at the sunrise and sunset.
- keep some of my special moments in nature a secret.
- skip and hold hands.
- STOP and look and listen and feel the world around me.
- make snow angels and sand angels.
- feel small when I look at a starry sky, a deep canyon, a gushing waterfall, or the tallest of trees.
- get silly, get wet, get dirty, build stuff, and tear stuff down.
- dive under the ocean waves and grab the sand to anchor myself.
