When I think of who I am to my core, there will always be a piece of me tied to my childhood home, specifically my backyard and weeping willow tree. This is the place where I’ve done all my learning and growing through moments of joy, sadness, and everything a girl feels in those pivotal years of her life. Often I find myself lost in reverie, just admiring the beauty of our willow trees. They too provide the feeling of home, not just for me, but for all the animals wanting to feel a blanket of safety, it’s enchanting. It feels like one of the true constants in my life that I’ll always run back to no matter where I end up in the future. It’s the truth, home is where the heart is.
This is the hill behind the astronomy center near Somerset Hall, where I lived my freshman year. That December, my best friend and I went sledding there, and it’s since become a bittersweet memory for me. It was the last place where I truly felt secure and happy within that friendship and time of my life. Though we have since grown apart, it’s a reminder that as we grow up, things are bound to change, and change isn’t always a bad thing. I like to look for the silver lining in moments that once felt unkind.
These were taken from the Rockland Breakwater, a walk that I have been doing with my parents all summer. Last year, I didn’t get outside as much as I should have, so doing this walk has helped to ground me and deepen my connections with the people I love most. It’s therapeutic to hear the sounds of the water, smell the salty air, and feel a sense of community as you pass other pedestrians. Just like human emotions, the atmosphere out on the water is ever-changing, sometimes calm and clear, other times choppy and bleak. Each walk feels unique because of this. This is also where I’ve watched my brother compete in sailing races, a craft he has worked so hard at. I’ll never take those days on the water surrounded by my loved ones for granted.
