Amy Lu's View

I’ve never been a bath person.

I know that taking a bath is supposed to be the epitome of relaxation, and I know for many people it is. But just the thought of taking a bath stresses me out. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had an appropriately comfortable bathtub or bathroom, or because I’m too repressed to enjoy unstructured nudity, or because I’m too uptight to embrace the prospect of just hanging out, but the idea of just lounging around naked doesn’t appeal to me. 

But I may have discovered a type of bathing I can get into: “forest bathing.” (Don’t worry, this does NOT involve being naked in a forest–I can’t even imagine the potential for a bug related disaster). 

The concept is Japanese and basically means spending intentional time in nature. Yes, that’s a pretty simplistic explanation, and my version of forest bathing is quite minimal–I’m mostly just wandering around some area parks.

My outings aren’t strenuous (not the point of forest bathing anyway) and I’m definitely not roughing it–there’s no camping, backpacking, or even hiking involved (unless the line between “hike” and “walk” is very malleable). I do usually end up strolling between 4 and 6 miles.

But my park meandering is a new thing for me, and although I didn’t start the practice with the idea that I was forest bathing, I like applying that lens to it. I like reflecting on how I’ve made a change to my life since COVID lockdown that I think has some merit. 

Not surprisingly, my park practice was inspired by lockdown, when it occurred to me that going to parks would be something to do that was relatively safe and somewhat novel. I also realized that after 20 plus years of living in Minneapolis, it was time to take advantage of some of the many opportunities to experience the great (and medium and small) outdoors in my area. 

In the last year, I’ve been to two State Parks, and several county, regional, and city parks…and once I ended up on a “trail” that was just a path through a neighborhood (yeah, that was a bit of a letdown). My experiences have been beautiful, disappointing, inspiring, confusing, hot, calming, surprising.

There have been lots of bugs. And selfies. And nature photos. And more bugs. 

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I am not very skilled at really being in the moment and appreciating my natural surroundings (which is actually a key aspiration for forest bathing). During my meanderings I’m usually listening to a podcast or an audiobook. I do TRY and listen to the birds and the water and wind too, but I love “reading” while walking and taking in the sights and smells and sensations while getting swept up in a story or a conversation. 

The main thing is that I have been getting outside to new places in a new way. Which means I can use (misuse?) another trendy term here: microadventure. An adventure doesn’t always have to be a big deal. It just needs to be something a little different and unexpected, something that gives you the opportunity to be open to possibilities and really realizing you’re not totally in control of how things are going to go.

My park explorations feel slightly adventurous because I’m never quite sure what will happen: What type of trail or path will I end up on? What flowers or trees or animal life might I see? Will I remember how to find where I’ve parked the car? Will I be able to take a least one moderately cute selfie? Will I be able to find a port-a-potty when I need one? 

I’m not the most attentive nature worshipper, but I have learned to be more observant and appreciative, and better able to see beauty and value when it doesn’t exactly fit my standard definition. Okay, universe, I don’t always have to have a sunny, 72 degree day and a path lined with wildflowers along and a gurgling brook (actually I have never experienced this).

Now that I feel like I safely can go more places and do more things (hallelujah), I still hope to keep forest bathing. Just don’t expect me to learn to appreciate mosquitoes any time soon.