Sometimes the bumper stickers ring true:

Carpe Diem
Don’t Postpone Joy
Be Here Now

Cliché, true, but only because we overscheduled, multitasking humans constantly need reminders to relax and inhabit the moment we’re actually in, not linger in the past or freak out about the future. For those of us dependent on time outside, this hits home especially hard as the daylight dwindles. Already the sun is setting before 5 p.m., making an after-work head-clearing, soul-soothing stroll on the beach nearly impossible.

Which is why I am formally encouraging you to get outside while you can. A long winter full of rain, darkness and finally catching up on Breaking Bad awaits. Don’t dawdle in front of Facebook when the sun shines! Whether a five-minute walk around the block or a lunch hour bike ride on the Hammond Trail, break away from the computer screen, breathe in the fresh air and once again revel to be alive in such a wondrous place! Make your weekends matter.

One of the best vantage points from which to enjoy the water – the ocean being especially treacherous this time of year – remains Humboldt Bay. If you don’t own kayaks, give Hawk at Hum Boats a call. He’ll set you right up. You can even load the kayaks on to your appropriate vehicle and drive over to the south end of the bay for a paddle around the Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge. You can also explore history-heavy Indian Island, as well as cruise through the area of Humboldt Bay proposed for greater marine protection through California’s Marine Life Protection Act.

Since the bay is located on the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory route for thousands of birds that breed in the far north and winter in California, Mexico, and Central and South America, the number and variety of birds currently utilizing the bay boggles the mind. Check out the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation’s district’sspecies gallery, Redwood Region Audubon Society and Friends of the Arcata Marsh for more on the over 270 species of birds (plus other creatures!) that utilize our bay.

Of course, a side effect of spending time in the beautiful outdoors surrounded by the majesty of other creatures is a desire to insure such beauty and majesty continue. To that end, we can take the usual individual steps – create less waste, pick up the trash we see, refrain from chucking cigarette butts on the ground and flushing prescription meds down the drain – plus supporting existing legislation such as the Marine Life Protection Act to ensure the ocean wildlife off our California coast recovers where needed and stays healthy into the future. We can continue advocating for better ocean policy everywhere, particularly in sensitive areas like the pristine seas off the Alaskan coast.

Saturday, Nov. 19 ocean-related events:

Arcata Marsh Field Trip: Join our local Audubon chapter from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. for a walk through Arcata Marsh, rain or shine. Meet at the parking lot at end of South I St. Bring binoculars. More info via rrasweb@gmail.com.

Table Bluff/Eel River Field Trip: Join Sierra Club North Group for a hike along Table Bluff and the mouth of Eel River. Carpool meets at 9 a.m. or be at the beach at 9:30 a.m. Full details from Xandra at (707) 441-0702.

Dune Restoration: Join Friends of the Dunes from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center in Manila to help maintain the trails and grounds around the nature center. Wear closed-toed shoes and bring drinking water.More at friendsofthedunes.org or 444-1397.

More Marsh!: Join Friends of Arcata Marsh at 2 p.m. when Alex Stillman leads a 90-minute walk focusing on the history and ecology of the Marsh. (The docent-led tours are also a weekly event!) Call 826-2359 for more information.