explained why I feel better outside, why I feel more whole in natural surroundings. Important points that I took away from that reading included the knowledge that we used a requisites when hunting for a home in Tennessee. We required plenty of green space, preferably rolling or sloped, with trees and large expanses of sky.Luckily for us, those are features that define much of Middle Tennessee. Yes, we selected a farm site on a hillside overlooking cow pastures backed by a wooded ridge, pleasing views are readily available all around this area. The rolling green expanses that make up Middle Tennessee are of the sort that make my heart ache upon beholding their beauty. Of course, the same twists and turns account for many "snow days" in the winter--when schools are forced to close because of icy road conditions, whether or not snow is actually present or even in the forecast.
The people here are open and friendly, perhaps reflective of the warm climate that encourages porch-sitting and chatting over the fence with neighbors. Even appearing on people's doorsteps as a government representative, when working with the 2010 Census, I found almost everyone very welcoming and eager to cooperate.
The landscape, the temperate climate, and the people all conspire to make me very glad to have moved here from the Northeast. Consider the studies done sometime back that took students out of the classroom and had them lie on their backs on the ground, contemplating the clouds for several minutes before returning to their studies. The kids who had time outdoors, time to drift with the clouds in their imaginations, were better prepared to focus on work after having taken their nature breaks.
Recess. Why did we ever allow it to disappear from the upper grades? Even middle age fuddy-duddies like me benefit from taking little nature breaks. Having this marvelous country all around us makes me fully appreciate living surrounded by the scenic beauty of Middle Tennessee.
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