Sleep under the stars to reconnect with the world

Twenty years ago, I was a single mom with two kids in grade school. My lofty dreams seemed permanently on hold while I dealt with broken cars, skinned knees and low-paying jobs. In other words, I wasn’t making ends meet — and there was no end in sight. It was in the middle of the night during the dead of winter when it first grabbed me. Like that Willie Nelson song about walls closing in on you, I had the uncontrollable urge to go outside. It just couldn’t wait until morning. I grabbed a pillow and a down sleeping bag (leaving my children sleeping safely in their beds) and went into my backyard. I made myself a bed on one of those silly, cheap plastic chaise lounges and settled in beneath my children’s bedroom window, still within earshot. Once the magical warmth of down feathers kicked in and I quit shivering, I noticed my new ceiling — millions upon millions of stars, the whole universe, galaxies and beyond. Almost immediately, my chatter started shifting gears. I remember how beautiful the moon looked. “Good grief,” I laughed at myself. “My problems aren’t more important than the moon!” It gave me immediate relief from the small stuff that tends to loom larger than life when you lose perspective. Manmade walls and concerns have a way of closing in on you. As our lives become more and more hectic, more “modern,” we spend less and less time outdoors — in nature’s clearinghouse. It’s almost impossible to find the time. But given that we must sleep, sleeping outside — or at least next to an open window — helps us get a much-needed dose of nature every day. No, what I’m talking about can’t be added to grocery-store milk, like the essential “sunshine” vitamin, D. For us multitasker types, it’s the perfect solution, taking in the outdoors while sleeping. The outdoors is a lifeline. Our evolutionary molecules crave it. Children, especially, need it, and problem-solving adults can certainly benefit from it. It’s a simple solution to some of what ails us. Summers are meant for sleeping outdoors, but the best way to adjust to your secret outdoor life in the dead of winter is to think of your bedroom as a sleeping room only. That way you can shut the door and let the temperature drop while you’re getting oxygenated without cooling off the rest of your house. A designated sleeping porch or loft is ideal. Pile on the bedding and get yourself as close to your window as you can. Let the snow, the wind and the rain spray you with nature’s sweepstakes. You’ll wake up a winner. Tonight, gather up your dreams and head out — to the wilds of your own backyard and beyond, where the vast expanse of the universe awaits you. SIDEBAR: Keep the bugs away Whether you are in an exotic tropical locale, your own backyard, or even your bedroom, you’ll appreciate the protection mosquito netting provides — not to mention how it feels to sleep under an elegant net that dances softly in the breeze. You can purchase full canopy nets online that are easy to hang. Or, next time you’re in a thrift store, grab a set or two of old-fashioned sheer curtains. Real Goods Catalog (www.realgoodscatalog.com) has a net with a spring-loaded plastic frame that folds into a compact nylon carrying bag and neatly stashes in your luggage or closet. While you’re browsing the Real Goods website, check out their incredibly innovative flashlight that never wears out or runs down. Ten seconds of shaking delivers about two minutes of light. This flashlight will never let you down. Great for a backyard bedroom! MaryJane Butters is an Inland Northwest organic lifestyle expert and the editor of MaryJanesFarm magazine. Write to her care of United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, or e-mail everydayorganic@maryjanesfarm.org.