I love being in nature.

I love walking, running, and just sitting outside breathing in fresh air.

I love being near water and surrounded by trees. I simply love being outside.

Even when I lived downtown in a city years ago and couldn’t make it around the greener or more nature-filled parts, I’d walk the streets, breathing in fresh air and looking at the flowers and bushes in people’s yards.

I will always find nature, no matter where I am, no matter where I go. And I don’t need to be surrounded by great expanses of it, to enjoy it, to feel it, to appreciate it—though I do love having it all around me.

It feels like home to me.

Yesterday I asked this question to one of our social media pages:

“What are your favorite ways to spend time in nature?”

Here are 30 lovely ways to spend time in nature, from Elephant readers:

1. “Sitting on my porch drinking coffee.” ~ Christy

2. “Kayaking, hiking, riding bikes camping and fishing.” ~ Peggy

3. “Be it in my yard or on a woodland trail I like to smell the scents and absorb the beauty of the trees, plants, flowers, etc…” ~ France

4. “Biking, walking, watching sunsets.” ~ Kelly

5. “Painting what I see, or at least photographing to paint later.” ~ David

6. “By the campfire at night after a day hike.” ~ Wayne

7. “Sitting in the sun.” ~ Julia

8. “I love the ocean, gardens, bird watching, going for walks either in the early morning or in the evening, sunrising and sunsetting, most everything. I don’t like the hot sun or humidity because it’s hard at my age.” ~ Sheila

9. “Swimming in the ocean.” ~ Sophie

10. “Walking. Or just sitting and watching/listening/smelling.” ~ Stefanie

11. “In Nature I lose myself, and gratefully find my soul in timeless resonance with it.” ~ Henk

12. “With my dog hiking on the river trails near my house or a state park! Biking to the Lake(Michigan) & taking dips! Gardening in my yard. Sitting on my porch listening to the birdies every morning.” ~ Jen

13. “Practicing yoga, beach.” ~ Jayne

14. “Hiking, sitting still on a beach, climbing a tree or just standing near water.” ~ Jess

15. “Walking while listening to music, hiking, riding my bike, going on a boat with the breeze flowing on my face, sitting outside listening to the birds singing or just sitting around a bonfire with some friends while sipping on a glass of wine.” ~ Patty

16. “Golfing. But I also like walks as well.” ~ Jay

17. “Sitting on the sand where the waves recede.” ~ Michele

18. “Gardening, hiking, mowing, snowshoeing, and sitting on the deck.” ~ Kris

19. “Hiking to all the waterfalls looking at the different shades of the colour green on the trees. I just love nature.” ~ Jamini

20. “Paddle boarding.” ~ Sandra

21. “Looking up at the sky lying in the grass with bare feet.” ~ Virginia

22. “Near running water, like a stream, river or waterfall.” ~ Michael

23. “Walking through forest and along lake trails.” ~ Nellie

24. “Sitting quietly.” ~ Annie

25. “Camping by a lake, watching birds and some times, canoeing.” ~ Jeri

26. “Just observing the magnificence.” ~ Jeffrey

27. “Trail running, biking, hiking. National parks and state parks. We make it a priority.” ~ Jennifer

28. “Birding.” ~ Rick

29. “Kayaking.” ~ Carin

30. “Hike, forest bathing/meditation in motion.” ~ Lilia

What are some of your favorite ways to spend time in nature?

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