State College is well known for a few things.

I’m sure you’re familiar.

Football and Penn State. Mount Nittany and the Creamery. The road with the dots on it.

In my humble opinion though, we need to be much better known for something else:

Reduced blood pressure.

Aka, the ability to go from “It’s Monday morning at 10am and everything is already feeling chaotic!” to deep breaths, relaxed shoulders, and a recaptured sense of internal spaciousness.

Aka, that beautiful feeling of “Ahhhhhh… okay…  I’ve got this…”, if you will.

Just last week, as my to do list was piling up and I started to feel the overwhelm set in, I quickly threw on a pair of flip flops that didn’t match my outfit (have yet to run into the Fashion Police around town), looped around the block for 10 minutes, and experienced that downshift.

Birds were chirping. The breeze was cool. The late morning air was not yet too humid and smelled great.

I strolled by one neighbor’s property that was bursting at the seams with wildflowers and laughed when I saw that another had recently installed a pair of light up palm trees in their front yard. 

If you were to ask me to make a list of go-to strategies for relaxing, “viewing tropical lawn decor” would probably not make the list.

But this quick swoop around the neighborhood and a few moments of remembering that there was life outside of my growing to-do list and four office walls made all the difference.

I think State College has spoiled me, because the access to that deep breath and perspective shift is so immediate. 

And the truth is, even “getting out of town” refuses to be a time-consuming hassle.

Stone Valley, my favorite kayaking-for-kayakers-who-don’t-own-a-kayak spot, is only a 23-minute drive from our house.

Now, okay. I should clarify something. I have come to learn that State College Time is not the same as Other Place Time. I have actually heard my husband bemoan having to drive “all the way out to Boalsburg,” for example. (It’s 7 minutes away.)

And admittedly, I myself have thought, “Wegmans is just so far!” (14 minutes) and opted instead for the Weis down the street.

But I know that if I were to run into someone on a New York City street and declare, “I think the 23-minute drive to Stone Valley, a beautiful local camping area with a lake where I can rent a kayak and spend a leisurely afternoon on the water, dipping in my toes, floating around, paddling only when I feel like it, and being surrounded by nature is JUST TOO FAR!”, that New Yorker would look at me like I’m nuts. (Maybe it’s the flip flops that don’t match my outfit…)

We have no shortage of lakes to paddle, ridges to summit, rivers to fish, shaded groves for picnicking, and long stretches of trails to bike—all within a short drive.

For me, uncomplicated access to delectably peaceful experiences, like weekend kayaking at Stone Valley or Colyer Lake, are the core of what makes living in this area so rewarding.

There is something about that combination of blue sky, warm sun, and refreshing water.

About being able to hear bullfrogs and the laughter of other locals out in their own boats.

About slowing down long enough to notice water striders on the lake’s surface and soaking in that “it’s just me and the water and the trees” feeling.

And then going home with a renewed capacity to take on the week ahead. 

Because it’s not difficult to regularly access truly restful experiences—whether that’s lunch outside with my porch pots and watching the breeze in the trees or getting out on a lake with some friends—I’ve got more energy at my disposal.

And I get to choose where I spend that energy, instead of having the place I live make many of those decisions for me.

So I’m curious. Does your current living situation dictate how you spend your time and energy? Or does it allow you to choose? I’d love to know what you’d do more (or less!) of, if you had more of your own energy at your disposal.

Talk more soon!