If you’ve ever heard me talk about my small town here in Alaska, Palmer, you know that I don’t just like where I live, I love it. And a lot of that is because of my outdoor practice. When we moved here in 2016 I had never experienced anything even close to the weather, darkness, or other extreme wilds of Alaska. After a year here I had some friends through our CrossFit gym, but I still felt like something was missing. I wanted to know more about where we lived and be connected to it, but I wasn’t sure how to make that happen. But when I started my year outside, I looked to community events to give me an outdoor activity or two each week. Showing up at that stuff meant I met people, which meant I got closer to my community and, well, the rest is history. Going outside helped me love where I live, but the way I discovered that isn’t the only method. In this best of episode I’m bringing by author Melody Warnick, author of the book This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever you Are, to talk about how spending time outside helps you love where you live. Visit Melody Warnick’s website Read Melody Warnick’s book, This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are(affiliate link) Follow Melody Warnick on Instagram Follow Melody Warnick on Facebook Join the Humans Outside Challenge Some of the good stuff: [1:57] Melody Warnick’s favorite outdoor space [3:21] What is “place attachment?” [7:51] How she feels about her newish home now [14:04] Act as if … [18:29] How going outside helped her like where she lived [23:51] Does it matter if you’re moving? [32:27] Was the way the outdoors built a connection to people surprising? [43:12] How you can increase place attachment by going outside [48:37] Melody’s favorite and most essential gear [51:17] Melody’s favorite outdoor moment