I’ve always been a bit attached to the health of Mother Earth. I loved forests, wildflowers, and basically anything that could grow or exist in the world. I was raised in a house that was the first house you couldn’t see from the road because it was surrounded by trees, about five minutes away from a local observatory and on a hill that was one street over from the hill that determined whether we had school or not the next day in snowy winter weather. I think nature has beauty in its purest existence, and I could not fathom how people could look at the Earth and all the beautiful sights and exploit it.Â
Some of my earliest memories are begging my dad to go outside and walk in the woods behind our house before the sun set. It annoyed my mom to no end when we weren’t back by dinner like we promised we would be so a new rule was eventually created where I was only allowed to walk after dinner which led to me shoveling food down so I could go outside and investigate the woods and watch the wind blow through trees and see pretty meadows and small bodies of water. My dad also raised us to yell “My People” out into the world to connect with nature. Anytime we went for a walk and found a path leading into trees and higher grass, standing on a clear beach, and in our own backyard late at night. I was raised to understand the importance of the Earth and making sure we take care of our planet.  Â
Another fond memory my parents and I have involves my aunt’s furniture store, which resides along a busy parkway parallel to I-86 in Vestal, NY. My mom had to make a pit stop to talk to her sister and shop around in the store. It was a quick trip, so she left my brother and me in the car, while in the car, I observed the town crew tearing down trees that were residing in the median of the roads. I started sobbing. My brother tried to get me to stop crying by telling white lies that the trees were dead, but I explained the vibrant green leaves meant they were still very much alive, so he returned to playing video games. When my mom returned, she asked what my brother did to make me cry or what happened to cause me to sob. My brother, without looking up from his game, raised his hand to point to the trees. My mom and Aunt Julie spent the next fifteen minutes trying to ease my mind about the trees. I only stopped crying when my Aunt Julie promised to plant at least as many trees as they were cutting down in a separate location for me to calm down. A bit dramatic, but the importance of keeping the world as beautiful as it is naturally something I’ve always believed is the most important thing. Â
I know that I’m not perfect. I’m still learning ways to improve and learn the best ways to take care of the planet around me. I enjoy taking silly pictures of the tiniest details of the world around me, the two white little butterflies that followed me throughout my entire five-mile walk this week, the Allegany River Trail, and everyone being outside, soaking up the sun and working outside. All of these details awaken the bit of my human nature that wants to ensure Mother Earth is protected forever. I truly think a walk and a little time in the sun (with sun block of course) fixes almost all of my problems, and I’m so glad the weather is starting to cooperate to give me the extra push to finish out the year and really get through finals.