["It would be so nice if something made sense for a change." Alice…in Wonderland
With the plague and related closures putting a damper on our normal avenues of entertainment, more people are heading to the outdoor spaces. In Texas at least, that means our amazing state parks have seen a spike in visitors. Because many of these are newbies unfamiliar with the fact that nature will kill you given the chance, there have been a lot more rescues than in the before times, according to a recent Texas Monthly article. People who have never done more than take a walk along their urban greenbelt decide to hike into some of the least hospitable areas of the state with little more than hubris and sandals. Things end poorly.
But one park actually saw a decrease in rescues despite more visitors because they instituted a trail advisory program where volunteers make sure visitors know what they’re getting into. I imagine it goes something like, “Texas is beautiful, but she’ll kill you if you let her. Don’t overestimate your capabilities or underestimate her lethality.” And then some advice about proper gear and water and whatnot.
Something veteran homeschoolers know and all the new homeschoolers are about to learn is that February is a difficult month. Whether just the weather and the shorter days or the distance from breaks or the fact that you’re past the midway point but not really seeing the end yet, February is hard. Add a pandemic and the general state of societal strain, and you know this one’s going to be a doozy. There's a general tendency to want to hide until it goes away.
Whether it’s a hike into an unknown canyon or a particularly wearying season of life, our perspective facing a challenge will make us or break us. There are three basic ways to approach life: with unrelenting positivity (“Everything will turn out fine!”), with world-weary cynicism (“This will all end in tears, just like everything else.”) or with clear-eyed realism.
For those who believe in always looking on the bright side, that can mean hope for the]