The nature I am surrounded by is anything but soothing or relaxing. I can hardly open my eyelids, for the sun’s rays sting my eyes. Every few minutes I get a tingly feeling across my leg and to look down, I see a small bug crawling across the side of my leg. I slap it away leaving nothing but a bright, pink mark on my calf. The neighbors dog barks continuously at me, as if the iPod in my hand is a slab of meat. The fly that swarms around me is every bit of a nuisance, and a stick is poking me in the back.

Sometimes I go outside just to lay in the grass. I’ve found that if you lay there long enough, you can drown out all of the negative aspects of nature with the positive ones. Just to sit in the grass and look up at the sky and the sun. I’m still a child at heart, who enjoys picking out odd shaped clouds, and guessing what they resemble most. I don’t feel as if that will ever get old…

Today is warm, and sunny. The kind of weather that makes people smile even on a bad day. As I lay here in the grass of my backyard, I hear the sound of cars driving by. I hear the sound of children riding down the street followed by their parents. I feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. I can smell the “fresh air” that is commonly talked about. I can see the tall blades of grass swaying so gently, so lightly in the wind.

When my mother comes from inside telling me to come in, I don’t want to leave. I enjoy the sun, and the ants, and the dogs, and the flies. Though occasionally they are unbearable, today they were exceedingly enjoyable. Today I felt nature. I felt the warmth, and the cool breeze. I felt the calmness of the outside world, beyond indoors.