Having a Balanced Life by Living Close to Nature

During this covid pandemic, we need to make sure that our immune system is able to resist the spread of virus or bacteria in our body. We can do it by doing regular exercises preferably not indoor but in outdoor environment so that we will be fully exposed to direct sunlight as well as clean air from the surrounding trees. 

A football field near a forest

I live in Manokwari. It is a tropical coastal city in West Papua. It is not a metropolitan like Manila or Jakarta. There are still a lot of green trees and even forest inside the city. People still have some trees at the back, side or front yards of their houses. These trees often produce tropical fruits such as coconut, papaya, avocado, mango and bread-fruit. In certain parts of the city where the houses are fewer, people grow banana, tomato, lemon grass, corn, kangkung (water spinach), singkong or cassava,  lettuce vegetables in a lot of  small vegetable patches for their own personal consumption. 

I like doing afternoon walk around a soccer field. The field is located at the foot of Table mountain. The mountain itself is covered by densed tropical rainforest. The fresh air which the forest emits every day creates a very pleasant atmosphere for people who live near it. 

I and two American visitors whom I guided in Raja Ampat

Before the covid pandemic, I worked as a tourist guide. Outdoor environment was my 'office'. In other words, I worked close to nature. My monthly income might be lower that those who worked in office buildings in big cities but I felt very healthy at that time.