NISD GT/OLC Book Study: Part 1 Reflection, Last Child in the Woods
The role of the outdoors in my childhood…. “Dad, how did the outdoors influence your childhood?” I pose this question to him as we drive SH 24 towards Paris. My dad always tells stories when we drive these roads, and I knew the conversation would stimulate lots of memories and bring a smile to his face, and to mine. Through that, I would be able to answer the question myself that was posing such a challenge for me to answer. I’m “Outdoor Amy” and should be able to give a ton of examples, right? WRONG. But I knew seeing rural Northeast Texas and hearing Dad’s story would jog my memory and connect me to an answer. Dad immediately shares a few stories of playing outdoors. He shares two new ones I hadn’t heard before. One about him and his friends riding their horses through the Bottom (Sulphur River bottom), across some land their families had leased and the experience along with that. It involved removing a gate, being gone all day, and when they got home, their Momma was so
