Opinion – Marina Izidro: We need to keep our connection with nature

Signs on the boardwalk warn: “no dogs between May and September” and “barbecue, only after 6pm”. It’s a beach, but it’s in England. There are rules, and woe to those who don’t.

I pass the signs and start walking in Bournemouth. A huge desire to get out of the hustle of London and be close to the sea took me to this city in the south of the country, where I took two days off during the week.

The relationship of the British with the beach is different from ours. They wear bikinis and swim trunks, but they also wear coats and when it rains – which happens a lot, as the reader can imagine. In Bournemouth, the 10 km coast of white sand and calm sea has rows of “beach huts” as far as the eye can see – colorful houses where they keep tables and beach chairs. On the way, a citizenship class: those who want to cook can use free electric grills on the boardwalk. And there’s no need to bring toys to the kids – there’s a box with several, just pick them up and return them later.

Seagulls are on standby around girls snacking on the sand; residents walk dogs; a gentleman puts on his cap and goes swimming in the sea; mother and son walk by with surfboards. In the afternoon, the wind brings the kitesurfers. Instead of açaí, snack bars sell “fish and chips”, the fish and chips.

As always in England, there is respect for the past. A sign reminds us that the boardwalk was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales in 1927. I went looking for it: it was Edward, the uncle of Queen Elizabeth II, who became king and abdicated to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Almost hypnotized by the sea – I’m from Rio and I miss the beach – I stop at an ice cream stand. The attendant, English, grumbles. He says the city is expensive and for tourists. I pay for the vanilla cone, which costs the equivalent of R$15. It’s cloudy, but I try to be optimistic. I say that my mobile app guarantees that it will be sunny in 20 minutes. “I like the cold, snow and forests. I think I’ll live in Scotland,” he says, dejectedly.

“Nothing shakes my high spirits”, I think. I say goodbye and go on. But this is not a free advertisement for the city – especially because beaches in Brazil give a bath to the English ones. It’s about something we don’t always appreciate: the importance of being in touch with nature. Everyone has their own way of connecting with it: if, for me, it is through the sea and the smell of the sea, for you it can be surfing, walking in the park, taking care of the plants in the garden, walking in the rain, stepping on the gram. In London, I know people who love swimming in rivers in winter and have told me that stepping into the freezing water every day has been critical for mental health in the pandemic.

Numerous studies prove that being outdoors improves well-being, mood, sleep, decreases stress, makes us less lonely, more active. In two days in Bournemouth, there were 30 km of walking and running. Facing the elements – sun, wind, rain – and seeing that nature is in control brings a good dose of vitamin D and humility.

In large centers, whether London or São Paulo, this break seems even more necessary. I know that I am privileged to have access to beaches and parks and, therefore, I think of the importance of having policies that have the preservation of the environment and the conservation of public spaces among their priorities.

I write the last lines already on the train back to bustling London, hoping that the noise of the sea doesn’t leave my thoughts too soon. I recommend.