Rewilding

A friend of mine who is retiring in April told us she wants to “rewild” herself when she stops full time work. I love the feelings this metaphor evokes - naturally vital, healthy, peaceful and beautiful with a sense that all is as it should be.

Rewilding is nature’s process of recovery and restoration, returning itself to its natural rhythms and balance.

I live in San Francisco and often hike the many trails of the Presidio. This precious place overlooking the Golden Gate, with its iconic bridge, and the San Francisco Bay, dotted with sailboats, windsurfers, and islands, is one of the world’s most biologically diverse national parks right in the heart of the city.

But for over 200 years it was a military outpost, supporting Spanish, Mexican and US armies who used the place as a base to explore, defend, train, and deploy. And over time more and more of the land was also conscripted for human needs, paved over for landing fields, equipment storage and housing. Natural lagoons, creeks and watersheds vanished, native plant and animal species disappeared…

When I moved here, the park had just been established and the US Army was moving out. The Presidio was in transition, ending it’s “job” with the military and starting a new phase of its life with all of the typical challenges, hopes and dreams that come with any transition. For the past 3 decades nature and people have been working together to thoughtfully navigate the arc of this change, respecting the park’s natural beauty and creating a renewed role that celebrates its purpose and supports the wellbeing of all who enjoy and rely on it.

As you plan for, enter and navigate through your next phase of life, how will you “rewild” to restore balance, welcome back and share some of the parts of yourself that may have been hidden over the years?