Central Illinois—I wouldn’t choose
to live anywhere else. Every region has its own unique kind of beauty and
splendor. The rolling fields that change from green to golden when you look at
them from a different angle, the bright vivid green of the grass and trees all
around you; the sheer density of color is astounding when you stop to think
about it. It is easy to take the majesty of central Illinois for granted, until
you’ve lived other places and realized how much you need that green surrounding
you.
I was born in northern California,
raised in Illinois, and went to college in Utah. I also lived in the state of
Washington for a little bit. No matter where I go, I always end up back in
Illinois, surrounded by forest and fields and green.
Growing up with four older brothers
(and being the youngest, only girl) gave me a lot of time to myself when I was
young. Instead of playing with siblings, I played with willow trees. Instead of
dolls, I nurtured cobs of corn. Instead of a gymnasium, I ran in fields. Nature
was my first family. My real family was almost second place in my heart. It’s
not that I didn’t love them…I just connected with my surroundings more than the
surrounding people.
Intuition is my first method of
understanding the world around me. Sometimes, I just feel connected to things
that I know understand me better than people do. Nothing feels more comforting
than a wise, giant tree that has seen more than you ever will. The storms that
it has weathered, the leaves it has lost, the branches that have been stricken
down…it understands your struggles on a very fundamental, instinctual level.
Nothing will ever get you as well as a tree does. When you are struggling and
no one can say the right thing or have the right look behind their eyes, you
will find the deepest understanding and comfort within your soul when you sit
underneath a selfless tree.
A tree will never judge you for how
tall you are in comparison. A field will never laugh at you for how far you can
run through it. A flower will never look at you with pity for the lack of
beauty you possess in its presence. Grass will never challenge you to grow
faster than you are able.
While I love to experience new
things, travel to new places, meet new people, and see life through different
eyes, I will always return to central Illinois, where the green and the fields
and the trees will welcome me back into their leafy arms. Expanding my mind
will always be a priority in my life, but comforting my soul and easing my
burdens will always be left to nature—my friend, my family, my majesty, my
peace.
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