Keep Calm & Visit a Dog Park - by Madison McCollum
October 9, 2020
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In a post-Covid world, arts and cultural organizations are more important than ever. We're eager to continue sharing the reflections we've received from you — our community — about how spaces like museums, zoos, nature centers, and more have kept you grounded, inspired, and creative.
We warmly welcome Madison McCollum of Oklahoma into the conversation of arts and culture destinations as self-care spaces. We hope you enjoy reading her entry as much as we did, and perhaps you'll even be inspired to submit your own reflection (scroll to blue button at the bottom of the page)!
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Written by Madison McCollum
The weight was heavy. I caught myself curling my shoulders in as I sat, the muscles tense for "nothing" at all as I worked. I usually let myself run that way until Friday ends so I can sleep my weekend away and be refreshed for Monday. It’s easy, repetitive, and sometimes it’s all I have enough energy to do.
"Next weekend, we'll go to the park." My dogs don't complain as I crawl into bed yet again for another "nap."
"A good one. I'll take you to the lake," was a three-week-old mantra that didn't seem to really have an end. I only had one "big" thing to do that weekend: Go into the city. Get the flea pills. Buy Groceries. I waited till the last minute, dragging myself out of the house at 4:00 p.m. Sunday in a tanktop and shorts, a hat on so I didn't have to fix my hair. There were no detours and Bruce never questioned anything on our little "errand runs." Of course he didn’t. He’s a good boy.
Deciding what to take back for dinner was the hardest part of our quick trip, which consisted of me dragging and glancing at options in Google maps when I saw it: a big patch of green just four miles away.
"Do we want to go to the park?" Bruce's expression didn't change, he didn't even lift his head up from where he was laying in the back seat, but he did stare at me as I turned to watch him. I was tired; he was scared of the car ride back. Not exactly poetic. But for some reason I turned around as if he’d answered the question for me.
"Yeah. We want to go to the park."
I watched people of all shapes, sizes, race, and age going to and from the rock sculpture entrance to the trails. Martin Park Nature Center was busy, and Bruce was very, very excited. The moment I stepped past the carefully landscaped start of the trails and onto the compacted, dirt “paved” paths, I had to take a deep breath. And with one exhale I felt that hand squeezing at my chest give way, lightening up. We walked for over an hour and by the time I returned to the car I felt more energized and free than I had in weeks.
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This was small, this was something very small, but it was an escape from the constant cycle of giving we find ourselves in. We wake up, get out of bed, go to work, go home, go to bed, and repeat; pushing ourselves for the weekend and promising that we'll live then. Sure, we sprinkle in the 'fun', the 'relaxing' as we send a couple texts promising to hang out with friends "sometime soon," comparing our lives to theirs as we scroll through social media on the toilet. We escape into worlds with video games, with videos and movies — but that's the problem, isn't it? We long to go somewhere, to do something, but there's always something holding us back: money, responsibilities, family — those things that have us saying "soon," promising "later," and effectively adding to that weight on our shoulders; feeding that grip tightening on our chests.
As I write this, I feel light. My shoulders aren’t as tight and I find that I can’t wait to go back, looking for every excuse to make that thirty minute drive or even finding that “good one” that comes with a lake for both my dogs. Having these spaces, no matter what form they may come in, is very, very important. Zoos, museums, galleriess, nature trails — these are all vital to providing people with that escape we desperately crave and need from the mundane, taxing grip that our society has on us.
I might not be able to afford a trip, but I can take an hour of my time to take my dog to the park.
(Photo: Courtesy of Madison McCollum.)
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We want to hear what these places mean to you. From favorite childhood memories to spontaneous stops on the way home, how have places like museums, zoos, acquariums, and science centers shaped the way you view the world? Enter your own "Museums as Self-Care" blog submission to make your voice heard!
