My love for nature and the importance it has in my life comes mostly from where I spent my summers as a kid – our cottage. Growing up in Toronto, Canada, a densely populated, industrial, and loud city, I was fortunate to have been raised in a family with a deep passion for the outdoors and the insight of how nature can impact and shape our lives for the better.
At eight, I was a very active child, always outside building things, collecting caterpillars, riding my bike, or climbing trees with friends. When my parents had told me they were buying a cottage on a small lake, I was eager to share the news with everyone. My friends who owned a cabin thirty minutes from ours had told me how I HAVE to try frog catching (with my bare hands of course).
I was excited to have a place where I could explore the woods and lake, and all its creatures with unrestrained curiosity and freedom. Being in an off-grid cabin, up on a hill with a view of the lake, and only two other neighbours in sight, it really felt like our own little world.
I’d spend mornings on our deck, in my hammock chair, eating breakfast, while the hummingbirds cautiously ate from the feeder beside me. Afternoons would be full of swimming, kayaking, sailing, snorkeling, net fishing, hiking (on trails bushwhacked by yours truly), painting with mom on the deck, or playing board games with dad in the “C Lounge” by the lake. Nights were spent by candlelight, where we had BBQ dinners, game nights, campfires, s’mores, and horror stories (once even made a horror film). Then, we’d fall asleep to sounds of the cicadas and loons, as well as mosquitoes that got trapped indoors.
I felt especially bonded to my friends and family when at the cottage exploring or experiencing nature together.
While there were times I got frustrated or felt too isolated, those two to three months every year, for roughly nine years, taught me how to appreciate serenity and depend on nature. To this day, when looking for comfort, I’ll always rely on the smells, sights, and sounds of the forest, water, and animals to keep me centered.