When I was little, outside was just outside. Nothing new, nothing cool, just outside. Of course I would lay in the grass looking up at the fantastic shapes the clouds would make. Sure I had fun exploring parks and trails, but I didn't see the real beauty of the outside world.
Camping can help to view nature, so by the time I was eight I had gone to a Girl Scout camp. This camp showed me how to see the world. It showed me that nature creates and destroys, it was beautiful. Camp helped me to see, listen, and understand the world around me. Although this may not have sparked my love for nature, it showed me that there is more to “outside” than just a place to play.
Then one day it just clicked. I can still picture that day, it was the first snow after my ninth birthday. The snow was white and fluffy, soft and magical. I sat in my bay window watching the snow, seeing each snowflake hit the ground. I watched as snow was pushed from the funeral home’s parking lot, into a giant pile to sled down later. The beauty was everlasting. I could see the sparkle covering the ground.
I went outside to stand in the breathtaking beauty of winter. Although I was all bundled up, the nose biting cold still sent shivers down my spine. I looked around at the beautiful sight given by nature. Out comes the snowman, growing faster than my eyes could see. I couldn’t believe I had built something so large with something so pretty. Seeing everything outside made it feel as if my eyes had changed. My eyes felt bigger, as if they could suddenly see more. I was noticing my surroundings now; I wasn't just staring.
Throughout the next three years I developed a deep passion and admiration for the outdoors. I wanted to see and do everything. I would sit silent outside, listen to bird calls, even stargaze. As much as I could I would do something related to the outdoors. I would bike, read outside, or go on walks to explore. The only thought in my head was: I want to spend all of my time out exploring and feeling as if I am one with nature. I would spend my entire day outside, camping in my backyard just to feel closer to the world around me. Not long after I started camping in the yard, my family started taking trips to nearby national and state parks.
The summer I took a trip out to the national parks of Utah was one of the most amazing times of my life. I hiked through the fins and saw millions more stars than I had ever thought possible. From there it didn’t take long for my love for the outdoors to navigate its way into every other part of my life. I was content just sitting outside watching the clouds, waiting to explore deeper and see more amazing sights.
Yet even with exploring so many amazing places my favorite spots would have to be caves. They can really help to connect with nature. My favorite part of going into a cave is to turn my light off and stand there eyes wide open. In the pitch black, darker than even a night sky, listening to the trickle of water, quieter than an empty countryside. Eyeballs pierce the darkness, slowly adapting to be able to see all of the cracks and crevices, stalagmites and stalactites. Listening to the trickle of water and seeing the pitch black surroundings, I feel at home and completely at peace. In the span of six years my thoughts on nature changed so rapidly and completely flipped upside down.
Now looking back, how could I have been so naive? As a little kid I looked past all the beauty around me, and I only thought of the outdoors as a place to play. I learned from these experiences that there is much more to nature than meets the eye. I can’t believe it took me this long to develop such a bond with this incredible force. This love doesn’t have an end in sight. I want to see everything that I know nature has to offer. I want to keep exploring. For now I know I haven’t seen much, but what I’ve seen so far is enough.