I grew up on an extremely small island in New Jersey. This town is only 7 miles long by 2 miles wide, so growing up I was literally surrounded by water. I could never picture my life different than that, and it didn’t make sense to me that people didn’t live close to the beach. The sand, the ocean, and the bay are part of who I am.
In the springtime when it was just starting to get warm, we would jump off the docks on the jettys into the bay, trying to avoid the gunk at the bottom at all costs. In the summer we would go to the beach from morning until the sun went down, sun burnt and exhausted from the days activities. In the winter we would sit on the cold sand in blankets and laugh with each other, watching the sun set. We don’t always realize how much time we spend in nature!
Last year I spent a semester in Australia and I have never felt so connected to the Earth. The ocean was warm and rough. The air felt different. The hiking opportunities were endless! I was able to see so much of nature I had never fathomed of seeing in the flat land of New Jersey.
My absolute favorite experience abroad was when we went to an island off the coast of Brisbane called Moreton Island. There was no electricity, no cell phone service, and it was a jungle surrounded by beach. We stayed in tents and slept on the beach, really roughing it! It was a complete weight off of my shoulders not having to check Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all the time. I had intimate conversations with people I had never met face-to-face, rather than through social media.
The best part of Moreton Island was seeing the stars in complete darkness. I was absolutely speechless. If you have the opportunity to see the stars in complete emptiness of light, take it. I’ve never seen beauty like it, and pictures and videos will never do it justice. Seeing these stars in all their glory, that was the most I have ever been connected to nature. I realized how insignificant I am, and how I need to stop worrying about the little anxieties in my life.
As I get older I realize that I am losing time with nature. I will someday be in an office from 9-5 and won’t be able to be in the forests and on the beach whenever I please. I think this makes me more aware of nature and that I need to take advantage of what I have now before I lose it. I think being connected with nature is important because we ourselves as humans derived from nature. We as humans ARE nature!