There’s a forest to the South.

Frederikspark, Haarlem.

There’s a forest to the south. It’s where my mind wanders towards to seek refuge after a long day.
Laptop shut, blue light dismissed, I traipse towards the greenery devoid of digital stimuli.
Craving to be amongst the quiet of the forest floor, that natural noise dampener of undergrowth.
The trees sway and rustle, their leaves in tune to the breeze as my eyes dance in and out of focus between short and long distanced foliage.
But it’s not just a release of tension from the focal effort of the work day, it’s wholly necessary. The forest, for me, is the only cure to zoom fatigue. The only way to calm the mind.

Escapism is something we all seek at times. One of the reasons I read science fiction before bed is to take my mind to another place. It goes beyond just “taking your mind off things” though. Escapism is about disconnecting with reality, no matter how fleeting that may be. Some may be energised by that, some may experience blissful relaxation. Either way, life in the 21st century is innately noisy. Finding refuge from that noise, I would argue, is undeniably necessary in order to retain our sanity. And refuge may be hard to come by. Which is why ‘escape’ is required, and why I find myself in the same place every afternoon.
In the forest to the south.