Ode to The Grass Stain Guru: My Outdoor Bill of Rights

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.