Drive-By Nature

About a week ago, a large fire affected roughly twenty acres of park land near my house. I was out of town during this event, so I drove through the park this morning to see if I could find the impacted land. (I couldn't see it from the road.)

As I was driving - following all of the roads in the park, barely slowing down, never leaving my car - it occurred to me that mainstream American society today often relegates nature to experiences like this. It's as if we want a take-out order of nature, rather than staying for the real experience.

A litany of excuses ran through my mind as I drove:

- I don't have time to stop.

- I'm not wearing the right clothes.

- What if there are ticks?

The sad part is, I like nature. There is no excuse for my behavior other than conditioning and complacency. 

What barriers prevent you from experiencing time outdoors? Are they real barriers or imagined ones?