Open Spaces Deprivation

It may seem odd when I tell you that I grew up in overpopulated, crowded South Florida, moved to a less crowded, smaller city in northern Florida, and miss the wide open spaces down there. But it’s true. Although there ARE trees in South Florida, the area is historically grasslands and scrub. You notice this change in the landscape as you travel south down the Florida Turnpike past Orlando. In Gainesville, where I live, trees dominate. And, I have to admit, I feel a little claustrophobic about it!

When I used to go outside as a kid, I was accustomed to seeing big, open skies greeting me. The place in Davie where I went to school was even more denuded of trees than my home neighborhood. When I went distance running around there, I was basically just running through a vast field. Now in Gainesville, a big field is to me something of value, to be treasured. I could do my running down shady, beautiful country roads with trees surrounding me and their canopies hanging over me. But I’d much rather run around the perimeter of a vast field where the sky is wide open above me and I can see far off in any direction.

I feel much more closed-in outdoors in Gainesville than I did in Hollywood/Davie, where I grew up. I remember the very enjoyable run I had a few months ago down the crowded beach at Ormond Beach. And then I realized: NO TREES!

Maybe I need to move to Nevada!