After school pickup one afternoon, we got home and didn’t even make it inside. The neighborhood kids were already out playing, and they came over to see Riley.
There were bikes, games being invented, and two sets of parents watching what was going on. Riley joined the younger kids. I got to talk with the other parents, and an ordinary arrival home became about an hour outside.
Kiana came out roughly halfway through. She had finished what she was doing inside, and I had things to take care of that evening, so we passed the baton. She got some conversation and outdoor time. I went in. Riley kept playing.
It wasn’t a family outing we had arranged. Riley got about an hour outside, and Kiana and I each got half an hour we hadn’t planned on.
Lately, with darkness coming earlier and dinner moving earlier in our house, it often feels as though we’re cutting that time short. But that afternoon is a useful reminder of what we’re trying to make room for. Nobody needed to reach a destination. We just needed to stay out for a while.
Find the light before finding the route
The daylight problem is real, but it helps to separate two things. Northern Hemisphere daylight changes with the seasons because of Earth’s tilt; changing the clocks is a separate adjustment to when daylight falls on our schedules (NOAA, NIST).
In the parts of the United States that observe daylight saving time, the return to standard time on November 1, 2026 shifts an hour of daylight from the evening to the morning by the clock (NIST). Your usable window still depends on where you live and what your day requires.
Rather than beginning with where to go, begin with when going outside is actually possible. Before work? During a break? As part of something you already need to do?
We’re fortunate to be able to walk Riley to school. That puts outdoor time inside an existing part of the day instead of requiring a separate opening in the calendar. It isn’t an option everyone has, but the question travels: is there something already happening that could happen outside?
The useful window might be small. It is still worth noticing before the rest of the day backs up.
Give the outing a smaller job
Most often, our answer is a walk. Waffle loves being outside, so having a dog gives us a standing reason to open the door.
Sometimes we walk to a nearby park. Sometimes we wander around the neighborhood. With a young daughter leading the way, the pace is not usually fast, and we often run into neighbors we hadn’t set out to see.
Five minutes can become longer. It can also remain five minutes. Either way, we have had some time together that wasn’t organized around getting the next thing done.
There is a bigger version when time and energy allow. I love getting out for an afternoon run with Waffle, sometimes before school pickup. On a lower-energy day, I might mix walking and running. Those outings serve a different purpose from following Riley around or talking with another parent.
They don’t need to compete. You can want a proper run and still appreciate a slow walk on the day you have.
Try choosing the job before choosing the scale: movement, company, quiet, or simply a change of scene. A smaller plan is easier to squeeze in when it isn’t being asked to deliver all four.
Make the easy version ready
You don’t need an elaborate system, but knowing your simplest option helps. Choose somewhere nearby that suits your mobility, the conditions and whoever is coming with you.
That might be a familiar loop, an accessible path, a place to sit, or the space just outside your door. Keep the clothing and everyday essentials you actually need easy to find. The point is to remove a little friction, not assemble another collection of equipment.
Weather changes our version. When it’s cold, we bundle up. When it rains, walking becomes less appealing, and we sometimes use the covered area in our backyard instead. Hot chocolate, a glass of water or art supplies can come outside with us.
It isn’t the same as going for a walk, and it doesn’t always work as well. We are not pretending that sitting under cover while it rains delivers the same experience as moving around on a pleasant afternoon.
It is another option. Keep the ones that are genuinely comfortable and available to you, rather than borrowing someone else’s porch, schedule or tolerance for cold.
Let outside be the point
For our family walks, we usually put the electronics aside: no headphones, no phones competing for attention. Walking opens up conversation, and being around the neighborhood opens up the possibility of talking with someone we weren’t expecting to see.
Sometimes I want the opposite kind of company. A short walk alone, or with Waffle, can be especially valuable when I feel rushed. Even standing outside for a few undistracted minutes often helps me feel clearer and more ready for what comes next.
That is my experience, not a promise that five minutes outdoors will produce a particular result for someone else. It is a reason I keep making room for it.
There is also a distinction worth keeping: outdoor time and exercise overlap, but they aren’t interchangeable. The CDC’s adult activity guidance allows aerobic activity to be accumulated in smaller chunks, while making clear that intensity matters for meeting the aerobic recommendations (CDC).
A run, a slow wander and sitting outside are different activities. I don’t need to call them the same workout to find something worthwhile in each.
That is part of what “whole” means to us in Tasty but Whole™: care for the person, not just the meal or the training session. Conversation and quiet deserve some space too.
Move a task, or shrink the plan
When a separate break isn’t available, I look for something I can relocate. If a call doesn’t need video, I’ll suggest audio and take it while walking. In the office, I sometimes ask whether a one-on-one could be a walking meeting.
Not every conversation is suitable. Privacy, accessibility, weather and the work itself still matter. Moving a call outside is an option to agree on, not something to impose on another person.
Writing on the porch is another possibility. It isn’t a digital break if you’re still working, and that’s fine. Taking work outside and leaving work behind are two different ways of making room.
Neither changes the need for sensible preparation. For outings that extend into darkness, the National Park Service advises checking conditions, using appropriate lighting and making yourself visible near traffic; it also recommends conserving a phone’s battery for emergencies rather than relying on it as a flashlight (National Park Service).
Our preference for undistracted time is not a recommendation to leave necessary communication behind. A phone can stay put away and still be available if needed.
Choose a setting you can use safely. A remote trail requires different preparation from time near home. Bad weather, poor visibility or an unsafe route are reasons to change the plan, not tests of commitment.
Leave a little room for tomorrow
Some days, making it outside doesn’t happen. There is real work, real caregiving and a limit to how many things can fit.
When I miss a day, I try to make outdoor time a priority the next day, as early as I can manage. I don’t like going two days in a row without it. That’s a personal preference, not another standard for everyone else to meet.
If you want a place to start, choose one plausible window and one easy option for this week. Leave room to shorten it, move it or decide the conditions aren’t right.
Our unplanned afternoon didn’t give both parents an uninterrupted hour. It gave Riley time to play, each of us time with neighbors, and a way to take turns while the evening’s work still got done.
There are days for a longer trail or a hard run. There are also days when the worthwhile part happens before you make it through the front door.
No summit required. Just a little room for outside.
Adam & Kiana
