Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 19

BIG PICTURE

Awe Struck

L.L. Bean partners with the National Wildlife Federation on the
Green Hour program-dedicated to getting more people off screens
and outside to find hope in a difficult world. by Shawn Gorman

Courtesy L.L. Bean

I SPENT MORE QUALITY TIME IN NATURE IN 2020 THAN IN ANY RECENT YEAR. I LOGGED MORE
miles on my mountain and road bikes with friends and family. I spent more days on the water with
loved ones. I hiked many new peaks. And I always felt restored.
In a year that often felt confining, confusing, and chaotic, the outdoors remained constant.
It continued to welcome and assure us-the predictable rhythms of nature unfolding steadily
around us as we navigated the uncertainty of living through a global pandemic.
The last year truly reaffirmed why being outside is essential for our well-being-it not only helped
us escape from the stress of the pandemic, but it showed us the healing power of the outdoors.
It's now winter in Maine, and that means snow. For me, that also means some of my favorite outside activities-skiing, fat tire biking, and backcountry snowmobiling. I realize that getting outside during the winter can seem daunting; an extra level of persistence is needed to head outside
when the weather is colder and there is less daylight. But winter is also a great reminder of nature's
persistence, and even if you get outside for only a few minutes a day, you'll likely find yourself experiencing a moment of awe.
While awe is a small word, there's a lot of meaning in those three letters. Defined as a " feeling
of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder, " awe is often the pause we take when we watch
a beautiful sunset or hear the sound our boots make when walking through fresh snow.
And awe-from time outside-is good for us.
RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
California at Berkeley found that feeling awe
during an experience with nature has the " singular ability to lower stress and improve our
overall well-being. " It increases our short-term
memory, makes us better problem-solvers,
and expands our creativity. And that's just individually. It also strengthens bonds with the
ones we love. It makes us more generous and
more patient.
It restores us and our relationships.
The most encouraging thing about awe
is that we don't need to summit a mountain
to get its healing power-even brief experiences of awe in the outdoors, like catching glimpses of the small wonders in your
neighborhood, lead people to be happier, less
stressed, and more attuned to what we share
with one another.
That's why L.L.Bean recently partnered
with the National Wildlife Federation in support of its Green Hour program. While the

pandemic has increased our stress, it has also
increased our time behind screens. To combat
the isolation and provide some relief-or micro-moments of awe-we are sharing simple
ways families can trade screen time for green
time. The Green Hour activities, like making
a bird feeder out of a pinecone or discovering the many kinds of homes animals live in
during the winter, provide wondrous ways for
children and families to enjoy time outside.
We know the pandemic paradigm-work at
home, school at home, play at home-is challenging. Green Hour provides an easy way to
escape outside.
We're all waiting anxiously for an end to the
stress induced by COVID-19 and a return to
more normal times where family and friends
can gather. Until then, nature will continue to
welcome us, allowing us to connect to something bigger than ourselves. My hope for 2021
is that we can all accept nature's invitation-
taking the time, moments both big and small,
to truly experience the restorative power of
being outside. O.R.
-Shawn Gorman is the executive chairman of the board of L.L. Bean and the greatgrandson of Leon Leonwood Bean.

Gorman feels the
awe (and awww)
on Burnt Mountain
in Maine.

January 2021 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 19

https://www.llbean.com/ https://www.nwf.org/

Outdoor Retailer - January 2021

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