Some days, I find myself wishing that I could view the world as I did as a child. There was a sense of innocent wonder and excitement that I would feel toward the simplest things growing up. Time moved slower, and everything about the world was new. I view my current world through a lens clouded in worries, and the mundanity of routine living causes me to take my favorite aspects of life for granted. I’m not proud of this, and I aspire to once again see the magic in even the most unexciting things.
I used to spend hours exploring my backyard as a kid. My family and I had a garden for a few years where my parents would teach me how to plant tomatoes, and how to care for plants. I used to love watching the flowers bloom, and I would run outside every day to check on their progress. My absolute favorite part of our backyard was the giant fig tree that we had. Its base stood tall in the corner, as its leaves transcended past the tallest wall. My brother and I would go on adventures to pick all of the figs off of the tree before the birds got to them. We would come out of the tree dressed in dirt and mosquito bites that stuck around for a few days. The possibility of getting a dreadful mosquito bite didn’t stop us, though — it didn’t even slow us down.
I spent more time exploring nature as a kid than I do now, most likely because I had a lot more free time. I feel like I used to appreciate nature more too, an unfortunate thought that I ponder on every Earth Day. However, there are still certain times that I am once again reminded of how I used to feel like a kid, but these moments are few and fleeting. In what moments are you most perceptive of the beauty of the world?
This semester, Tuesdays are by far my earliest, and longest, days. I have classes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. So, as a commuter, I wake up at 6 a.m. to get to school on time. If you read my latest column, you know that I am definitely not a morning person. When I wake up for my classes on Tuesday, the sky is still dark, which is something I’m not used to. Despite being a sleep-in kind of gal, I love my early drive to school on Tuesdays. The sky is dark when I get in the car, but has a beautiful golden hue by the time I park. I see the sunrise every Tuesday, and it serves as a refresher for my soul.
The beauty of the world can do that to you; in random moments, maybe when you need it most, it sneaks up on you. We get so used to our environment that we forget to recognize how wonderful it is.
This Earth Day, get in touch with your inner child. Try to spend some time outside and look at the world as if it were new, exciting, and ready to be explored. With an open mind, and an invigorated soul, you never know what beauty you might find!
Second-Year Freshman is an Opinion column used to explore the unique experiences of Sophomore students who studied remotely their freshman year during the coronavirus pandemic, and are now experiencing campus life for the first time during the 2021-2022 academic year.
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