Starting things is easy. Finishing them is not. Coming back to work on things you haven’t worked on in a long while is even harder.
But, if there’s anything the Pandemic has taught us, it’s that there’s always time to try, retry, and try again.
That list of banned books you want to read? Start with Vonnegut.
That novel you want to publish? Send out some queries, see what happens.
Visit all the State Parks in your State? Get in your car and drive, fool.
So, you’re not a nature-lover? Okay. Lame excuse. I don’t like ticks or sweaty armpits or chafing or being thirsty, but I still go because all of those things I just mentioned (and more) remind me that I’m a human being with a very limited timespan on this planet. Once I die, there will be no more Gold Bond powder and hot showers or wanting to set my tick-laden clothes on fire while I’m still wearing them. Because I’m dead. There’s no redo.
I find this seriously distressing about the current state of our world…humans seem to be more interested in watching movies or TV or TikToks or social media or YouTube than actually participating or creating the world they live in. There seems to be a great feeling of “Oh, I’ll just do that tomorrow.” As if we are 100% guaranteed that tomorrow will actually come.
Before it gets too preachy up in here, let me just say: I am not living the perfect life, either. I waste plenty of time on time-wasting garbage. I am aware of it every day and I am trying every day to change my behaviors. It’s hard. Starting is hard (circling back to the sentiment that started all this).
Let’s start with state parks. Every state has at least one (except Delaware, seriously?), and most have more than one. At the most basic level, a state park is a location with recreational potential, natural beauty, or historic interest (hey, thanks, Wikipedia)…and it is protected by the state government’s laws and such. Here in Iowa, where I live, there are 63 state parks. And that does not include state forests, state recreation areas, wildlife areas, or historic sites (80 places in Iowa, if you add all those places in).
Yep, that means I ain’t gotta go far to enjoy some nature, you know?
I don’t know how many years I got left in this body, but the goal is to try to visit as many Iowa state parks as I can. And to really hold myself accountable, I will write about it here, and include my amazing pictures as well. Of course, at the time of this writing, I’ve already visited maybe a dozen? Only six of those do I have any record, written or visual, that I ever was there. So, that’s where I’ll begin. Photos, my comments, brief descriptions, etc.
Hope you stay along for the ride. Include your comments if you’ve been there and what your thoughts were.
Cheers,
HN