FRESH AIR MAKES PEOPLE PEOPLE HUNGRY?

If you’re looking for fresh air, and who isn’t, you’ll find it in abundance at your local nursery where acres of plants release oxygen.

It may not feel, or look, like an oxygen tent, and you’re not a patient, but it does wonders.

If it’s not the air that dazzles you, it’s the colorful blossoms, then the air.

What should a baby boomer do? First, consult the Moody Blues:

Breathe deep the gathering gloom
Watch lights fade from every room
Bedsitter people look back and lament
Another day’s useless energy spent
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one;
Lonely man cries for love and has none;
New mother picks up and suckles her son;
Senior citizens wish they were young

 

These are the lyrics I never listened to, just the music, and they hit a little different than they did in 1967.

Back then I was twelve and wishing I was older.

Rumor has it that college kids back in the day were breathing deeply from joints of their ditch weed and getting more oxygen deprivation than what little high or buzz from their rolled up yard clippings.

A twenty year old in 1967 would be eighty today.

That eighty year old should be directing people to the nearest plant nurseries for fresh air, but like most things, I have to do it myself.

 

So how did Earth’s atmosphere get its oxygen? The simple answer is that early microorganisms produced it using a process you may have learned about in elementary school: photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and other organisms use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce energy.

As a byproduct, oxygen is released, which has over time given Earth an oxygen-rich atmosphere suitable for complex lifeforms.

 

Forest Bathing

Is walking around a nursery huffing down huge quantities of oxygen the same as forest bathing?

WHY FOREST BATHE?

Less stress. A sense of wonder. Experiencing natural beauty. Lowered blood pressure and a stronger immune system.

All of these benefits – and more – have been linked to forest bathing. Many of the positives may be anecdotal or subjective, but in recent years, scientific studies have shown that forest bathing actually makes measurable positive impacts.

For example, higher stress means higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that can play a role in high blood pressure, heart disease, headaches, and other illnesses.

Tests have shown that a calm walk in the woods reduces cortisol levels.

 

Breathe deeply. Not only will it help you slow down and focus on the moment, but if you’re in a forest full of trees, you’ll enjoy some physical benefits as well.

Trees and plants emit antimicrobial compounds called phytoncides that, when inhaled, have been shown to strengthen the immune system. Forests have higher oxygen levels than urban areas, so breathing deeply helps bring in oxygen-rich air that’s good for the body and mind.

Good for the body, your body, my body, any body.

In my research I found nothing that says you need to get naked.

On the other hand, nothing said don’t, so you’re on your own on that one.

 

After doing breathing exercises, and maybe picking up a $1.99 plant, it’s time to go.

Walk down the path to the parking lot taking big breaths.

You won’t find a better deal for oxygen therapy.

 

 

Now that you feel refreshed, you’re hungry. And you should be.

That’s when you start remembering the recent taco-buffet in Cook Park.

 

 

 

PS:

Fresh air won’t make you a better person, but it may help you make better choices with a clear head.

 

 

PS:

Maybe traipsing around a plant nursery isn’t right for a rugged individual like you?

I get it. My wife is my motivation, I add the benefits along the way.

Today’s fresh air comes from Swan Island Dahlias, dahlings, and I’ll be down in Canby getting tuned up.

Will I cross the river on the Canby Ferry? Let’s not get too crazy.