Back to nature?

This morning, cycling home after taking the kids to school, I was thinking about how they "paved paradise and put up a parking lot" as the song goes. In other words, how far we have drifted away from nature. I have often said I would be perfectly happy in a cabin in the woods, with just the basic needs for survival, the people I love around me, and a fast Internet connection :). And I wasn't joking. Most of what "modern society" has to offer, I can easily live without.

I have been called a savage by various family members for as long as I can remember. My earliest childhood memories are from the time dad and me lived with my grandparents in Zandvoort, one of the Netherlands busiest seaside resorts. I was around 4 years old, then. In between our garden and the sea was nothing but dunes and for some reason the trees, the sand, the wild life (well not all that wild, just rabbits and birds and hedgehogs and the like) and of course the sea attracted me like a magnet. No matter how often they told me I wasn't allowed outside the garden, punished me, told me it was dangerous etc... I always managed to sneak away unnoticed and spend hours and hours in the dunes or at the beach, playing, or just sitting and watching nature around me.

Later on in life I was quite active in Scouting for 10 years in a row, all the way from brownie to girl scout leader. I learned how to use a compass, tie knots (boy did I learn how to tie knots, and yes, it comes in handy during.. other activities now ;)), navigate using the stars, first aid, build stuff from logs and rope, cook on fire, and many more things. And I have never lost this love for the outdoors, and grabbed every chance I got to sleep outside, in a tent, a teepee even.. provided it is the real outdoors, not this weird way of spending their vacation lots of people seem to enjoy. What's the fun in being on a huge camping, tents and caravans side by side for as far as you can see, with water and electricity and cable TV and all right next to your camping spot? I have never understood that. You pay a fortune to spend your holiday in a linen/aluminum version of a suburb. It's just like home, only everything is less comfortable, smaller, and looks like the cheap plastic it is actually made of. Oh and the neighbors can hear everything you say or do without using a glass to press against the walls. Bleh.

I guess the worst thing about it all is we don't even miss this feeling of being in touch with nature any longer. Well, most of the time anyhow. I'm off to spend time with my garden. I hope it still recognizes me.