This morning I woke up and went for a jog.

The winds were howling, easily pushing 20 knots.

The kind of wind that rattles trees, blows dirt in your face, stings your ears, and makes you want to stay inside.

I have access to a treadmill at my local gym.

Climate-controlled. Predictable. Easy.

But instead, I went to the park.

I asked myself why, as I was tying my shoes.

Why choose discomfort when comfort was available just a few minutes away?

The answer was simple.

Because it was outside.

I wanted the sun on my face.

The trees moving overhead.

A blue sky.

Gravel crunching beneath my feet.

I wanted to feel something real.

Nature was calling… not loudly, not dramatically, just persistently.

And I’ve learned over the years that when that call comes, you have to answer.

The gym would have been easier.

But the park was better.

Sadly, not all of us live where nature is everywhere.

I don’t live on a tropical island.

I don’t live on a ranch surrounded by open land and quiet mornings.

If you do, you’ve won one of life’s ultimate lotteries.

You’re connected to nature 24/7, without effort.

You don’t have to plan it or seek it out.

It’s just there.

But for many of us, especially those living in suburbs or cities, connecting to nature doesn’t happen by accident anymore.

You have to go out of your way to find it.

And that matters.

I make it a point to reconnect with nature daily.

Whether that means going for a run, taking a walk, sitting quietly, or simply watching the sunset.

Even when it’s not perfect.

The sunsets at home aren’t the same as the ones I see on our expeditions.

There are cars, buildings, powerlines, reminders of the world we’ve built, layered over the one we inherited.

But the Texas sunsets where I live can still be pretty spectacular.

Choosing the park over the treadmill wasn’t about fitness.

It was about remembering.

Remembering that nature isn’t a luxury, it’s a relationship.

And like any relationship, it fades when neglected and strengthens with attention.

Unfortunately, we don’t always get to live where nature is untouched.

But we almost always have a choice to step closer to it.

Even when it’s windy.

Even when it’s imperfect.

Even when the world we’ve built gets in the way.

You don’t have to go far to reconnect.

You just have to step outside your door.