When I was 4, my family moved from the suburbs to a house in the country with many acres of forest. For many years, my summers were spent playing with my brothers and exploring the outdoors. It also helped that my grandparents have a small cabin with even more forest which we would visit on weekends. It’s a different type of experience than what people would think of as a typical “country” experience, less small town and farm, more "Little House in the Big Woods." But I wouldn’t trade it for anything and here’s why.
One of the more interesting things about where I live is I can’t see my neighbors' houses. Others can’t even see my house from the road. It truly feels like we are in the middle of nowhere, in our own little section of the world. And there are perks to that. We never got yelled at for, well, yelling too much. We could run around barefoot in whatever costumes we wanted. No one could see us, so no one could judge us.
Hot summers days weren’t always spent in a pool (though we did have a pool for a while). Instead we played in our grandparents’ pond or our creek (or "crick", depending on your pronunciation preference). Oh yes, there were mud fights and splash fights. There were games where we threw stones or tried to cross without touching the water. We explored the length of the creek (and got lost once). It definitely shook up the week when we made the hike down the ravine and into the creek.
Another side effect of living near woods is the amount of wildlife encountered and knowledge gained. I’ve seen turkey and deer up close, as well as many different kinds of birds. There are a couple deer heads and a turkey feather display on the walls of our house. There is also an abundance of more domesticated animals as well. We have had too many stray cats to count (and the only cat we have now used to live outside). There are cows across the street, and I have actually had a chicken cross the road in front of me.
In the summer, nothing beats a good old-fashioned campfire. In the winter, the wood-burning stove can bring up the temperature to the point summer clothes are needed. Either way, I am no stranger to fire and find a calm in it. Though it can be frustrating to build from scratch, it can be an interesting puzzle trying to keep a fire going. And I would not have learned that had I not grown up where I did.
I have to owe my imagination to growing up near the woods. While I did play and make up stories with my brothers with toys inside the house, I did the same thing outside, but without the toys. We made multiple little houses and campsites using tents or just our imaginations. We made food dishes out of weeds and bark. We dressed in costumes (me more than my brothers) and pretended to be so many different people. Though we have not done this for a while, I still consider these to be some of my fondest memories.
Growing up surrounded by trees gave me a different experience than someone who grew up in a city, suburbs or on a farm. It gave me knowledge and love of nature and fostered my imagination in ways I think would have been squashed in a different setting. I love my home and the way it shaped who I am today.
