I am a highly emotional person. And don't get me wrong, I love having the capacity for feeling that I do. I wouldn't have it any other way; I like being able to feel human. Yet...There are times when I need centering. I often need to reevaluate my current situation before getting too carried away with the moment.
For these reasons, solitude is vital to my well being. I love people very much, but when my mind whirls with emotions so violently that I can't hear my own thoughts, I need to get away from it.
I am, again, so sure that I've chosen the right college. The landscape here is teeming with beauty, and when I need to be alone, (weather permitting) I can walk through woods and fields and just be still in the silence.
God is so alive in nature. I know that "tree-hugger" can carry a negative connotation with it, but I am not ashamed to say that I am one. When I feel alone and sad, perhaps the most comforting thing I can to is wrap my arms around the trunk of a tree and hold it tight. This actually physically centers me, as well as providing me with a sense of emotional stability. I honestly believe that if more people did this; actually took a moment to be a part of nature; many problems could be caught and solved in a positive way. Ever since I was little I have found the act of hugging trees to be such a comfort, and I am thankful that it still helps me today.
Photograph by Blasius Erlinger.
