Here in Steamboat Springs, most are familiar with the Yampa Valley Curse, which holds that once a person has come here, they never leave or if they do, they are inexorably drawn back to stay for good. Some claim they came for the skiing but stayed for the glorious though too-short summers. Then there’s the oft-seen bumper sticker “came for the skiing, stayed for the library” supporting the Bud Werner Memorial Library. 

I am one of those afflicted with the Yampa Valley Curse. It is the powder skiing that first drew me, the summer trail time that I now live for, and something else. There is a spirit of hard work and generosity in this valley. Many folks who’ve come here have given up better paying jobs or a less-demanding winter elsewhere to be here with the opportunity to be outside most of the year: skiing, mountain biking, trail running, paddleboarding, hiking, just to name a few. The generosity is evident in the over 150 non-profits serving residents in the Yampa Valley, which has an estimated population of 25,000. People who live here both full and part-time give their time and money freely: from contributing huge amounts of food to LiftUp during the recent SNAP cuts, to serving Community Thanksgiving Dinners, to turning out in support of events like Integrated Community’s ‘Boat Cruise fundraiser.

This readiness to show up is something I am both grateful for and in awe of. It is something I try not to take for granted. And now I am hopeful that all of this giving really does benefit the giver in a tangible way, even beyond the emotional satisfaction and psychological boost. 

In a study published this past fall, researchers determined that helping others may reduce cognitive aging by 15-20%. Unlike crosswords and Sudoku, volunteering formally or simply lending a hand involve social interaction and physical activity which are correlated with slowing cognitive aging. These brain effects accumulate over time, so as you continue to volunteer, your brain continues to reap the rewards. Interestingly, when study subjects ceased their helping out due to illness or change in life circumstances, cognitive decline increased. 

It is important to note that helping out can be both formal volunteering or informally pitching in - walking a neighbor’s dog or shoveling their walk for example. And the time involved is not huge - two to four hours per week seems to be the ideal amount. If life circumstances change, you can still be engaged in meaningful ways, an example being the Heart of Steamboat Methodist Church’s program to call folks on the phone during Covid. Those conversations helped decrease the isolation and maintain vital connections. 

There is that old saying, “it is better to give than to receive.” In the case of brain health, this would seem to be a truism.

Source/Learn More
​Optimism Daily: Want to keep your brain young? Helping others just a few hours a week may do the trick

​Walking along a trail, whether concrete or dirt, your feet will at some point bring you to a tree - one or several. You might pass right by, mind elsewhere. Or you might notice the distinctive scent of evergreen. You might feel tempted to touch the dark knot perfectly framed by white aspen bark, or the drip of sap running down the rough conifer trunk. You might gaze upward, marveling at the height - imagine being that tall - and smile at the squirrels leaping through the branches in their acrobatic games of tag. You might see a woodpecker drilling for its next meal, or hear a songbird brightening the day with its tune.

What would it be like to be up high amongst the sturdy boughs, cradled by the green giant? To be nestled within thick foliage, unseen from below and able to gaze far across the landscape, enjoying the bird’s eye view. To feel the breeze move your hair as the leaves rustle. To breathe in the dusty earth smell on an afternoon in August , or the cool wet of a drizzly October morning.

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An arboreal abode, a home in the trees, a tree house. How I longed for a fort in the trees when I was growing up, and that longing continued when my own daughter Charlotte was young. We made do with reading the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne. The stories were terrific, but more about the fantastic adventures the tree house transported Annie and Jack to, rather than the tree house itself. The Sorcerer’s Crossing, a favorite book of mine, involved a character who lived in a tree in order to become more self-aware. The first night she moved into the tree house there was a violent thunderstorm  but she was safe in the little tree house while the tree thrashed about.

Spending time in trees, and nature in general, we know is beneficial for our health. Though we all can’t take part in the tree house experience the way the Swiss Family Robinson did, we can look into biophilic design. Biophilic refers to love of life and all that is alive. The design concept consists of three parts:

1. Utilizing direct nature: bringing trees, plants, water features indoors.
2. Utilizing indirect nature: specific use of materials and images.
3. Utilizing the space itself to create feelings one has in nature: secluded spaces for privacy and peace, partially hidden spaces to create a sense of exploration and wonder.

An example of this design is found in greenscrapers, or vertical forests, where trees and shrubs are integrated into the outdoor spaces of a many-storied structure. The overall effect transforms the building into a spectacular oasis, human-made straight edges and sharp angles softened with verdure. 

Biophilic design can be found in office spaces, upscale city apartment dwellings, and even low-income housing. The greenery of the buildings, as well as parks and dedicated green spaces, not only provides a connection to nature for those who live there, but can also cool the environment, as cities become “heat islands” with all their concrete and asphalt.

Living amongst the trees isn’t just a childhood fantasy - it is a very real way to connect mind, body, environment and good health with nature.


Sources/Learn More
Optimist Daily: Architects embrace trees to bring nature in and redefine home design
Green Oasis: What is Biophilic Design?

​Have you ever experienced a hand meditation? Many years ago, in massage school, we did a hand meditation one night. I worked full-time and went to school at night. Attending the night program at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy meant I’d have my certification in two years. It also meant the folks in my cohort were a tight bunch of people, having been together through thick and thin for all that time.

The night we did the hand meditation still lingers in my memory. We were in a large, carpeted room. The lights were dim, and we sat on round cushions or directly on the floor, spread out so we each had plenty of space. Our instructor, Aaron, led the lesson, starting with simply gazing at our hands, taking in the lines, the quality of the skin, the color of the flesh. We tuned in to how our hands felt: hot or cold, achy or tight, stiff or supple. 

We were then invited to remember all of the things our own hands had done in our lives: wiping a countertop clean, painting a watercolor, folding laundry, strumming a guitar, touching the petal of a rose, dusting snow off a coat, catching a ball, washing our face, stroking our dog behind the ears, hammering a nail to hang a picture, warming the hand of a grandparent, turning the pages of a book, caressing the cheek of a partner, watering a plant, writing a letter, slicing vegetables, pouring coffee, typing an email, playing the piano, holding a child’s hand, lifting a glass of water to our lips.

When we stop to think about it, take a quiet pause to ponder our hands throughout our lives, we realize that they have taken part in every moment. Our hands hold the story of our lives.

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In honor of our hands, and in the stark reality of our current flu season, here's a reminder of the simple and effective way to prevent spreading illness: washing with old-fashioned soap and water for 20 seconds is the way to go!
UC Health: Why soap and water work better than hand sanitizer to remove viruses and germs

​Ever notice that when you are having a bad day, or are so overly irritated with your significant other, co-worker, sibling, best friend, etc., a laugh can change the entire day and/or situation? You feel better in your body, the crankiness dissipates, you reconnect with that person, and you feel human again.

Laughter does that. It bonds us, benefitting relationships and our own sense of well-being. It has a host of physical benefits: burns calories, reduces stress, releases endorphins, increases immune system function, and supports our heart health. Having laughter in our lives benefits our mental and emotional health by reducing anxiety, increasing relaxation, and supporting resilience. Wow. If this were a prescription drug we’d be in line now. 

In this article about the benefits of laughter, there is a great list of ideas about how to bring more laughter into your life. Spending time with funny people, doing something silly, and sharing a joke or funny story are some of the suggestions.

Here’s something to get you started: a video of a juggler explaining the benefits of laughter - funny and silly! Maybe taking up juggling might be one of your new hobbies!

I’m lucky to have grown up with some silliness in my own family. Don’t get my mom and dad started with my daughter about the Snallygaster. My Grandmother Martha used to tell slightly smutty jokes with such cool elegance she would have had the queen giggling into her teacup. And my Grandmother Bootsie, with her incredible resilience and a twinkle in her eye, offered me this wisdom gleaned from her lifetime of physical challenges: “Well, you can laugh or you can cry. So you may as well laugh.” 

Originally published July 2022

The humid evening air is warm and gentle on my skin. The last of the golden light overhead fades to darkness under the trees. It’s summer in the 1970’s in a small Maryland town, and I’m with my family - mom, dad, grandma, and my aunt, walking to my great-grandparents’ home just up the street. My grandpa drove, not because he had to, just because he could. Across a large lawn, tucked under some low-growing trees and against a lush hedge, my grandma points out little flickers of light. I run over (no fences keeping me out) to see, floating all around me, tiny lanterns that glow bright, go dark, and light up again. Fireflies, or lightning bugs. They are elusive, delicate, and mesmerizing. I am entranced. 

Fireflies are actually a type of beetle. Their on-again, off-again glimmer is the result of bioluminescence, caused by chemicals in the tail-end of their bodies (called the lantern) that create light. This luminescence can be used to attract mates or to ward off potential predators. Some savvy females even use their light to snare unwary males from different firefly groups in order to devour them. The firefly’s largest meals however, are consumed in the larval stage after hatching from the egg (in July or August), in which they eat their fill of soft-bodied invertebrates such as slugs, worms and snails. They snug down into the ground or under tree bark in order to survive the winter. 

I haven’t yet seen fireflies in Colorado, and assumed they only existed in more humid climates. But fireflies can be found here, near areas of fresh water such as creeks, rivers, lakes and hot springs. They can be best seen at night after 9pm in forests, meadows and fields near these water sources. Unfortunately, firefly populations are threatened due to loss of habitat, pesticide use, and light pollution which confuses mating fireflies. 

Since 2017, researchers at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado, have been rearing and studying fireflies in order to understand more, and with the end goal to help boost the firefly population. This is painstaking work - so far just a few fireflies have been successfully raised. Recently, one female went through the entire life cycle - she hatched at the Butterfly Pavilion, and went through each successive stage through adulthood, when she herself laid eggs. 

There are ways to get involved: you can become a community scientist to help track firefly populations in Colorado or you can take a firefly tour. And ways to protect: support land conservation and habitat restoration, don’t capture fireflies, and turn off outdoor lights in wetland areas June through August.

I hope to someday take an evening walk near a wetland area and catch a glimpse of the magical fireflies once again. 


Sources/Learn More

• The Butterfly Pavilion: Firefly Lifecycle Project
• The Butterfly Pavilion: Colorado Firefly Watch
• Colorado Gardner: Fireflies and the allure of light