Sleeping in a tent in our garden for a few nights this past week with the kids was an unforgettable—and proud—experience. I hadn’t endured such simple sleeping arrangements since scout camp 30 years ago.
I was proud because, since we moved in, we took the unusual and deliberate decision to—more or less—allow a large slice of our garden to go rogue. The result, I am pleased to report, is that our garden is alive with an abundance of nature.
Throughout those nights, hedgehogs shuffled into the feeding station we created; from early light, bees zipped around the garden; all night long there was the constant low-level hum of insects; and the birds just wouldn’t shut up!
Living in a semi-detached house in suburbia, the contrast with our adjoining house (no criticism of them) is stark. No doubt an estate agent would caution us to beautify our garden and copy our neighbours if we wanted to sell for top price. But we will do no such thing. We adore our wild, untamed haven and feel that we have done something—albeit infinitesimal—to reduce biodiversity loss.
So, if you want to know how alive a garden is, spend the night in it. And if, like me, you’re not much of a gardener, a night in the garden will reconfigure your relationship with nature. The experience is like waking up from general anaesthetic, suddenly aware of everything around you.
As I’ve written before, the pursuit of high-quality, positive memories should be sought almost above all else. For our family, purchasing a half-price tent and being willing to withstand several nights without the usual creature comforts, ticked the Positive Memory box.
This all reminded me of the Stoic philosophers of antiquity who advocated simplicity and adversity as a means of strengthening the soul. Once a month, would-be Stoics were encouraged to sleep on the floor and to eat with the dogs.
The purpose was to demonstrate that, should the worst happen—such as bankruptcy and public humiliation, leading to sleeping outside and eating with the dogs—it would still be survivable. The logic was that withstanding such adversity would alleviate anxiety, empowering one to thrive with turbo-charged vigour.
So, if you’re looking to connect with nature, create lasting memories, and untether yourself from worries, spend a night under the stars. You might be surprised by what you discover, both in your mind and in the physical world.
