“This will ruffle some feathers. Not every form of exercise needs to be “optimal” to be worth doing. There. I said it.” ― Anonymous
I hope you don’t mind a bit of stream of consciousness…
The outdoors are working their gravitational pull on me. My work has been hectic, full of grading essays and crises intervention, so my typical workouts of weight training and kendo have taken a huge backseat. There is also the shoulder injury, personal commitments, and just good old fashioned exhaustion. I had to be honest with myself and come to terms with the reality that I am finished burning the candles at both ends, as is typically expected of us. Personal optimization is a scam. Instead, we should exercise the soul by stopping and smelling the roses―or rather, the dandelions.
In recent days, I’ve found that the best exercise for handling stress and exhaustion is a modest hike through the woods―forest bathing, as I like to call it. No music. No phone scrolling. A friend may join you. However, solitary quiet can be cleansing. Sleeping senses begin to stir. An ancient music erupts from the birds and leaves. If a stream is nearby, it plays the harp with river rocks. We grow taller after walking amongst the trees, and we can see a version of the world that is hidden behind screens, servers, and headphones.
When I returned from the woods, I was invigorated―not to return to the grind, typing keys, grading, and data analysis―but to return to an equilibrium better suited for my health; primal muscles long asleep had been awakened. That’s when I noticed the dandelions…. The flower my best friend back in elementary school shoved under my chin to see if I liked butter. Even my dark skin reflected golden yellow. Yes, I do love butter.
Dandelion (Taraxacum), are flowers native to nearly every continent except for Antarctica. They can thrive in very challenging conditions, pushing through even concrete and stone. They not only symbolize resilience and strength, but also transformation, for their delicate, buttery yellow flowers eventually become angelic globes of seeds. We can all be tired, but we can also be dandelions, able to push from the concrete that seals us off from the real world. Behold, the best and most fun exercise is the one that strengthens the mind, the body and the senses…., and helps us recover the love for nature that was lost.
Folkcrafts, Art, and Thoughts 
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