Out for a walk in the woods near my house, settling my nerves after a polite-but-not-exactly-friendly meeting with neighbors about tree pruning, privacy, rights to views, and "hypothetical" legal action, I came across a man walking the other way.

As I rounded the corner, I was wiping my nose, which drips incessantly outdoors in any sort of cool weather.

The man coming the other way was better dressed than expected for that muddy trail: He was 70 ish, with white hair, nice khaki pants, a pressed checked shirt, stylish Panama hat, and a sweater over his arm.

As I passed him, he looked at me with an unusually open, kind face and said, "You're wiping your face too." He smiled gently as we passed each other and kept walking.

I didn't know what to make of it. What a strange thing to say! And it was said with such kindness.

About 15 minutes later it hit me. I think he must have been crying, and thought I was too. I wasn't, but I might have had that energy about me, coming as I was from a stressful, emotionally charged meeting.

It's intuitive that both of us would have been there in the woods to help soothe emotions and nerves. It's the sort of thing we just kind of know, you know?

It's also being proven more and more by science. This week's bite-sized bit from Good Nature by Kathy Willis is about the benefits from a walk in the park.

Scientists have studied how going for a walk or run, or just sitting outside in a natural setting, affect mental and physical health. They've measured subjective things like rumination through a questionnaire, and physical things like cortisol and salivary amylase in saliva samples, which are known markers for stress. They have also done brain scans before and after walks, and measured heart rates during walks.

All this is to say, there is quite a lot of data that shows what we know instinctively: A walk in the woods lowers rumination thoughts and lowers stress, in ways that are quantifiable.

One of the most interesting parts of the chapter on walks in the woods is the focus on quantity and quality of nature experience needed to feel the effects.

Kathy Willis, very practically and helpfully, asks (I'm paraphrasing): If we want those benefits, where should we walk, and for how long? And if I'm tired, can I just sit down, or do I have to keep walking?

Here's what the data say about benefits from walking in nature:

Where: The most biodiverse place you can get to easily and regularly. An urban park like Central Park, the woods behind your house, a public garden.

How long: 20 minutes a session. (Longer is better, but it seems that most people hit diminishing returns after about 20 minutes.) 120 minutes per week, total. It doesn't seem to matter if you do the 120 minutes in 20 minute chunks or all in one go.

What activity: It doesn't seem to matter if you're walking, running, or just sitting. Of course exercise has other additional benefits, but if you're tired, you can get the same reduction in stress hormones from just sitting on a bench in a park as you can from walking in that same place.

How about gardening? That's next week's topic, but, spoiler: Yes, you get all those same benefits and more. I was definitely feeling it this week when I took a break from a stressful day to pull oxalis weeds for 20 minutes.

They're such a pest, but also a blessing in their way. They're incredibly invasive and smother a lot of the intentional plants. But they're not horrible looking, and, when the soil is at the right level of moisture, pulling them is so incredibly satisfying.

I hope you find a way to get outside this week, even if it's just sitting and looking at the trees in the park for 20 minutes.

Happy Seedurday,

Anne

P.S. It's getting to be seed starting season, and we've got a sale going on right now! Use code POTS2026 for 20% off self watering seed pots (including factory seconds), seed starting soil, starter kits, and sub-irrigating ollas through March 1st.

P.P.S. If you're new to starting seeds this year, check out the resources in the footer of this email. The Seed Starting Handbook and printable planner will get you off to a great start this spring!

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