By Jerrica KF Ching

Until recently, I would never consider myself someone who liked being outdoors.  For the majority of my life, despite being born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and living there until I was twenty-two, I loved being indoors.  I moved to Oregon in 2014 and continued my appreciation for staying inside, give or take a few drives out to the coastline to spend time on beaches that were vastly different than the ones in Hawaii.  Occasionally there would be a hike or two I’d go on with my friends.  But if you asked me if I wanted to do something indoors or outdoors, I would almost undoubtedly choose something inside away from the elements.

It wasn’t until COVID-19 became the “new normal” and travel became very limited that I became remotely interested in doing anything outdoors.  I was invited to go camping at the Oregon coast for a long weekend and being overwhelmed with dread and getting cabin fever for being stuck inside for so long, I happily agreed.  So, there I was in a small tent at a campsite in Cannon Beach, Oregon, huddled in my sleeping bag on the hard earth, and for whatever reason something switched in my brain that this was the best thing ever!  Despite the cold, I was grateful for shelter.  I could feel (and smell) the earth beneath me and was grateful that it was solid ground.  I could see so many stars at night and heard so many sounds that created a natural white noise machine.  I had no cell phone service so I could simply nap in my hammock or take a trip down to the beach around a campfire with friends. 

Everything seemed so vibrant; were trees always this green?  Did birds always sound this beautiful when dawn broke?  Was there always a fine mist lifting off the ground in the morning, creating the image of a fairytale land?  Of course, there was!  Of course, the world truly is a beautiful place!  It is beautiful to the point of bringing awe, shock, wonder, and tears of joy. It’s there, but we are so caught up in everything that we don’t slow down to look and appreciate it.  While it took a pandemic for me to appreciate all the glorious wonders of God around me, I am grateful for the lesson and the reminder that our creator created all that is good.

As our country slowly adapts to the environment that COVID-19 created, it is my hope that we don’t forget that there is still so much to appreciate around us that God has made.  Whether it be found in the outdoors on a hike, or as we look out the windows as some of us return to our offices or our houses of worship, may we remember, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude” (1 Timothy 4:4).

Jerrica KF Ching grew up on the island of Oahu, Hawaii and currently lives in the beautiful state of Washington, working as a licensed mental health counselor and Asian/Pacific Islander mental health specialist, working with children, teens, and adults within the AAPI community. She graduated with an MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling from George Fox University, where she is now an adjunct professor and supervisor. Her research on racial colorblindness has been published in The International Journal of Social Science Studies.