I would say I feel extremely connected to the natural world. Ever since I was little I always loved to go outside. I would stay outside from when I got home from school to when it got dark out and my parents made me come in the house. Some of my favorite activities were to ride my bike with my friends, go on walks, and hiking. To be honest this connection has only gotten stronger over time. I find myself enjoying sitting outside when I go to a coffee shop or doing my homework outside on my porch while the weather is nice. I find it relaxing to watch the sunset, how quiet and peaceful nature is. For me, when I’m feeling overly stressed or overwhelmed I feel like it’s helpful to take my mind off of the problem and just enjoy how beautiful the world is that we live in. One of my most precious memories that I have is going camping with my friends for three days in a tent. We brought a little grill and cooked each other food every day, went kayaking, swimming and walking around exploring the natural beauty and views around us. I think it’s important to be connected with the natural world because we only have one. Some of the most beautiful things we can ever see are in nature and who knows how long it will stay beautiful because of our mistakes, pollution, littering, global warming, and many other things that we have caused. I feel like I need to enjoy it now while I still can and while I’m still here. For this nature inspiration, I actually chose the dock in my backyard because to me it’s the most peaceful place that I can sit and think to myself without anyone or anything bothering me. I chose to walk down my dock during sunset for my 5 minutes of quiet time. During my experience, I felt completely stress free, as I always do watching the sunset. I watched the clouds change shape and move across the sky, the birds flying in the sky and landing on the other rows of docks, how dark the tree line became as all the colors of the sky were vibrant colors of purple, blue, yellow, pink, and orange. How the breeze was felt on my skin and hair, the smell of the salt water, and the passing of other boats waving at me. This is one of my favorite feelings in the world and how I like to spend my free time. I’m anxious person but watching sunsets is relaxing and allows my mind to finally take a break from the day I’ve had and it’s such a pleasant escape from everything else. It makes me feel more connected to the environment and it makes me want to treat the environment better because this is my home and it’s the only one we all have. To be honest I don’t understand how people can be so disrespectful to our environment because it’s what keeps us alive. The picture above is a sunset off of my dock that I took.