For the Love of Nature

Where does your love of nature come from? It’s a question I find myself asking quite a bit these days as interviewing for our Summer 2023 staff is underway. I think what’s incredible about this question is that no two answers are the same. There may be similarities between people’s stories, but each one is unique to the individual. 

With how much I’ve been asking the question to others, it only made sense for me to consider where my love of nature comes from. It was hard to pinpoint one specific moment where it all just clicked, but I think many of my experiences growing up allowed me to find my love of nature and develop it through the years. From an early age, all of my time was spent outside. Growing up, my brother and I knew every kid in our neighborhood, and we would all spend our time playing outside with one another. At our earliest ages, we were limited to each other’s backyards, and the games we would create would keep us entertained until the sun went down. As we all got older, we were able to adventure a bit further from our backyards, and explore the nearby woods of Scantic River State Park, which conveniently had an entrance at the end of our street. Having the chance to spend time with one another just walking and exploring the woods was an incredibly special time in my life that I will cherish forever.

My love of nature developed even further during my time as a Boy Scout. Becoming an Eagle Scout was something incredibly important to me from the moment I came home in kindergarten with a flyer to join Cub Scouts, and hearing about my dad’s path to Eagle throughout my childhood. I immersed myself into Boy Scouts and did everything in my power to learn and grow through the organization, whether that was learning new skills, like fire building or wilderness first aid, or the leadership positions I would take on. The best part of my scouting experience was camping. Every month, my troop would go camping and I looked forward to every one of them. Being able to venture out into the woods, explore the area, cook meals (nothing better than being the camp chef), and spend a couple of nights in a tent was the best part of my childhood. To be able to immerse myself in nature, away from all technology, with the opportunity to strengthen my relationships with my fellow troop members are the times I cherish the most. 

I’m so grateful for the experiences I’ve had that have developed my love for nature, and I’m even more grateful that I get to spend my summers at The Nature Place to help the next generation of campers discover their love of nature. I now pose the question directly to you: where does your love of nature come from?