The Benefit Of Grass

Not what you’re thinking; I’m talking about the turf kind.

What a wonderful community we live in; there is so much beauty around us. Look up and you will see the gorgeous mountains just beyond our backyards, beckoning us to visit.  Growing up at the mouth of Big Tujunga Canyon, I spent so much time in those mountains and the wash nearby, hiking the trails, walking in squishy tennis shoes up the stream beds, and laying rocks across the water to build make-shift ponds to swim in. We were a pile of kids who were free to explore and go wherever the day would take us. They were glorious days of youth and, during the summer, we were out in nature every single day.

When we weren’t out in the wash, we spent the rest of the time on our street. I lived on a cul-de-sac, off another cul-de-sac, so our block was actually three dead-end streets connected together. Pretty much every house had kids and we would spend our summers riding bikes or roller skating on that one long continuous sidewalk. It was a blast. 

I think our most favorite thing to do was just hanging out on the grass in front of one of the houses. At any given moment, there were between two and 20 kids just laughing and playing on the grass. We would do cartwheels, wrestle or roll down the gentle slope. We watched butterflies, picked flowers, collected bugs then let them go. We built forts made of cardboard boxes and things we scavenged from the yards and had secret meetings in them.  We had water fights to keep cool that usually involved everyone grabbing a hose or bucket and dousing whoever was closest. At the end of all that activity, we lay on our backs, watched the clouds and felt the cool grass on our bodies, the blades tickling our necks. The smell of cut grass would fill our nostrils and cling to our clothing. What a great time we all had on the grass and with each other.

I think about today’s kids, whose days seem far more structured than mine ever were.  They are always headed off to some scheduled activity like sports or Scouts, which are good things for them to do. But kids don’t seem to just hang out and talk anymore without an electronic device in their hands and certainly are not outside, all day long. Times have changed. 

More and more, people are replacing their lush green lawns with rock gardens filled with cactus and succulents and, while beautiful, I feel like that inviting feeling is missing of wanting to spread a blanket and have a picnic. It’s just not the same sitting among a pile of hot rocks, eating a salad while looking at social media. People who install artificial turf may have good intentions by conserving water but, in my opinion, there is no substitute for the feel of cool grass under my toes. Might as well just spray paint the dead lawn green.

I wonder too about the messaging that is bombarding our youth about the environment, the idea that the world as we know it needs to be rescued, saved from utter annihilation. This doomsday approach can really frighten children and give them anxiety about their future existence. I say, save the alarmist “calls to action” for adults and politicians to sort out and just let our kids be kids. Museum educators learned long ago that it is important for students to grow up learning to love their natural environment, first in the garden at home then later in parks, beaches, campsites, rainforests and tundra. Those who spend a great deal of time outdoors naturally grow up to understand why we should protect the earth, its many resources and its wildlife. It all starts with an appreciation of grass.

Susan Bolan

susanbolan710@gmail.com

  Susan BOLAN