My Neck of The Woods

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned. - Maya Angelou

I was reminded this week of something really cool about the place I live. Seals. We have a population of Atlantic Harbor Seals that can be seen from the shores of the local waterfront national park in the winter and early spring. Dozens of these pinnipeds will gather on sand bars to sun themselves, and this happens less than 10 miles from my home. This is a sight that most people will never get to see, and I take it for granted. It costs nothing, it requires no skill other than holding a pair of binoculars or a zoom lens on a camera, and who doesn't love seals?! I ventured out today to walk the shores in hopes of catching a glimpse of this spectacle. So, what makes your neck of the woods special?

I have visited friends in Colorado. What incredible mountains and stark landscapes. Monuments like Red Rocks and more public, open spaces than this east coast girl has ever seen. I have traveled to Washington State. One can't imagine that rain and the proximity of the Pacific Ocean could create such a lush, fantastical setting as the islands dotting Puget Sound. Florida; when the opportunity to travel away from the overpopulated beaches and resorts presents itself, take it! There is no place on earth like the mangrove forest to understand what natural Florida must have been like before Disney and the masses arrived. An all day kayak trip through those canals is one of my all-time favorite memories. And don't even get me started about my memories in Costa Rica. The most biodiverse country on the planet. I may have to write an entire piece on just Costa Rica.

Every small piece of inhabited earth has some unique natural beauty, something that makes it the proud home to someone. Traveling offers us the chance to see landscapes and wildlife that we don't get to see every day, but what we get to see everyday has something to teach us too. Do you remember what the woods or beaches or trails of the place where you grew up smell like? Isn't there some tree that you know, for sure, grows near your home, even if you aren't sure what kind of tree it is? When friends visit from far away, what is that one outdoor place you insist they explore? Those places and things are a part of you. They are your home, and they are not just a location on a map, they are a feeling of comfort and pride that no amount of time or experience can take away. Oliver Wendell Holmes said "Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."

I didn't get to see any seals today. I did get to spend a couple of hours scouring the shore of one of the most interesting and diverse places in my state. And, I knew, because this place is as familiar to me as my own heart, that those seals were there, just below the waves, because this is their home too. Get outside and love where you live.