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One of my favorite activities to do on a weekend morning is to go on a hike. Smelling the fresh air at 7am, feeling the wind on my face, and the early morning feeling makes me feel at peace. Nature makes me feel at peace.
I have always been fond of nature. I have always enjoyed the outside more than the inside. When I was in elementary school. l I remember spending nights playing outside from afternoon to evening or as some may say “dusk till dawn”. Jumping into huge piles of leaves in fall, climbing huge trees in our local parks, running through huge grass fields, and taking hikes to a local farm gave me joy and added wholesomeness to my childhood. Just being outside literally every day allowed me to breathe, relax and refresh.
My favorite place to visit is Yosemite Park. I have very vivid memories of long winding hikes to Vernal Falls, standing underneath the waterfall and letting water flow down my face, feeling the warmth of the sun, and seeing deer, squirrels running around the meadows. Once I even saw a baby bear behind tall grasses. Don't worry, I stayed a huge distance away from it but I did get pictures. Yosemite means alot to me and if I could visit it every year I would. There is something just enchanting about the place.
In 8th grade, I took a school trip to Yosemite. A monumental memory from the trip is a reflection walk. We were brought to a huge green open meadow with tall grasses, surrounded by huge jagged mountains with the blue open sky over our heads. Our guide said we would be taking a walk with important stops. She had each of us leave about 5 minutes apart so we each got our own space during the walk. When I started the walk, I just felt so free, but also felt so small in the meadow and insignificant. A 360 of the whole place just took my breath away. Through the walk, the guide had left little pieces of papers where there were questions or quotes for reflection. Although I don't remember anything on the papers, I just remember feeling stuck with my own thoughts. It was fleeting and I felt happy.
This memory of Yosemite is one of my most treasured moments I always appreciate. Just a chance to be outside helps me cope with a lot. Whenever I'm stressed I always step out of my house and go on a walk in circles for 10 minutes. I inhale, exhale, inhale and exhale and just let myself be. Whatever anger or stress I had built up, slowly drifts away. There is just something so mesmerizing of seeing the sky and how far it stretches. It's crazy, sometimes.
There is something so aesthetically pleasing of being in the presence of nature. It is connecting, soothing and restoring. It is healthy. Some of my biggest dreams are to watch a beach sunset, take a night hike and look at the stars, climb Half Dome/El Capitan and have a full day in the snow. I could literally be anywhere outside and be happy.
As John Muir said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks” and he is absolutely correct. Nature is a force of reflection, nurturing and healing and something I am eternally grateful to have.