Why I Love, Love, LOVE Nature

I've been given this assignment in my English class where I have to go to a secluded area of wilderness for an hour and write about something without the annoying and forever existing presence of society. I. LOVE. This assignment! Finally some proper interaction with nature! Getting this assignment reawakened my love of Nature and now I have to write about it! Many people love to tell me that if I haven't tasted bacon, I'm missing out. But the truth is, if you haven't properly immersed yourself in the magic of nature, YOU are missing out. On living your life. Now you don't have to live in a tiny house and go hiking every weekend to call yourself a nature person. I truly believe anyone can learn to love the undeniable beauty of our Mother.

Nature is a force. Not to be confused with The Force (I must confess, I am a Star Wars geek!). The idea that there is something bigger than us feels both frightening, but also exhilarating. Similar to how we haven't discovered everything we can about the universe. Mother Nature clears forests when they've been depleted of everything. Creatures die to balance the presence of life on Earth. Of course, we humans are the exception. At least we like to think we are. We seem to feel like we're competing with Nature. Sorry humans! We're not the best! I guess we just have to learn to live with this, truly unfortunate fact.

In movies we notice these phenomenal landscapes, gaping waterfalls, and towering trees. Heads up! This is all real! We just never realize it because we are so separated from nature. Why? That's a good question. I recently watched a BBC Earth documentary that discussed the natural wonders of Africa. Highly recommend by the way (it's available on Netflix, as well as many other BBC Earth documentaries. They're all so good!). Jaw drop! I can't believe I didn't know these things were in fact real things! I guess that happens when you're watching an amazing nature documentary series in your living room in New England...after watching a whole bunch of other shows. You realize you don't know everything. The episodes featured an underground cave with yellow catfish that only existed in that one cave. How intriguing!

My point is, Nature is so amazingly diverse. The word "diverse" kind of gets thrown around here and there nowadays, but my oh my. If you don't get out much, I recommend watching a whole documentary series. In one sit-in if you have to! Until you finally understand what I mean. From iguanas to buzzards to capybara to spiky caterpillars to the redwood tree. Are we just full of ourselves? Why do we glorify the evolution of humans so much? Why do we think some entity gave us animals for us to eat? How fantastical that Mother Nature created so many different beings to inhabit the Earth together. It's a basic concept, but just so complicated and unbelievable! I don't think I'll ever get over it. I hope that makes sense.

Nature has offered me one thing that nothing or no one ever will. A proper (emphasis on proper) escape. That's why sometimes when I go hiking with my family I like to be just a little ahead or behind my family. I hope they don't take offense to that. Yikes! You're secluded from societal influence. What better way to live life? At least once in a while you, at least I, need to be away from the foreboding pressures of being around people all...the...time. That's why I'm so excited to do this English assignment! I want to have an adventure! I've only been as far as New Hampshire and parts of Arizona when it comes to immersing myself in natural surroundings. I can't wait to see what it's like in Puerto Rico!

 ────────────────────────────────────────────

Just Living is Not Enough...One Must Have 

Sunshine, Freedom, and a Little Flower

~ Hans Christian Anderson ~

───────────────────────────