Get Outside Yourself

Toledo Metroparks -Wildwood

The last drops from an afternoon rain evaporated off of brown metal. There was a chill in the autumn air made bearable by rays of sun slicing through the passing clouds. I wiped up a puddle from the bottom of a slide with my oversized, toddler stained T-shirt. We had the playground to ourselves! (never happens) The scene felt like a slow-motion home video watching my daughters giggle across the padded mulch and up some windy stairs. I could almost feel the earth spin as mother nature blew through my unkept hair… as if she was trying to lift me up, one mother to another. It had been a long day and this moment was exactly what I needed to get outside myself.

“Get Outside Yourself” is the new campaign slogan for Toledo Metroparks. I beleive the meotophorical pun is a genius inspiration, not only to get outdoors, but to free yourself from your own mind and comfort zone. When you are feeling insecure, get outside yourself. When you are judging others, get outside yourself. When you are uninspired, get outside yourself… and if you can’t find a way to clear your mind, just GET OUTSIDE and let the beauty of nature take you away.

After my park visit, I was inspired to write the following poem:

The world keeps spinning.
The seasons keep changing.
Ride against the spin.
Lead the change.
Get outside yourself.

While our country is being devastated by environmental tragedies, hate, and politics, we need more than ever to get outside ourselves! Ride against the spin and lead the change!

Thank you Toledo Metroparks. #getoutsideyourself