I am a nature junkie. I could spend my days perfectly content beneath a willow tree… watching for the sun’s pink entrances and exits, and being entertained by the pursuits of ladybugs. However, it is too often that we forget the value of nature as our speeding lives rarely allow for the appreciation of a light rainfall or the pleasure of a coy blossom catching the sun. It is so easy to be swept into the whirlwind of “reality,” full of tests and papers, of places we ought to be and of places we’d rather be. We forget the pleasantness of a cloud formation for the soccer practice at hand; we forget the invigorating cool air of morning over rushing to breakfast check-in. Nature fades into the role of backdrop as the tangible, more pressing things overwhelm daily life. I love that nature is unassuming, tranquil, but for that reason it gets lost; a blade of grass will not give you a due date, so we do not have time for it.

To me, being in nature goes hand in hand with relaxation and happiness. If there is an act more restful than taking a catnap on the grass under the noon sun, I don’t know it. Recently, as the weather has warmed up significantly, my friends and I have started taking advantage of our free time in the evenings to have adventures around school and in nature… we have “frolicking-time” and basically, romp about, listening to music and exploring different parts of campus, discovering the best venues for star gazing and playing hide-and-go-seek. These nights are always rejuvenating– as only a game of tag under the full moon can be. It is fun to be silly and to let loose… to hear the coyotes howling, to wonder at life and to feel so fully alive.