My Friend, Nature

When I was first asked to think about my relationship with nature, I immediately thought about my childhood. Growing up, I had a favorite tree, a maple tree that stood in front of my house that I climbed everyday. My younger self loved the outdoors, playing with mud, running around, biking, climbing fences, but my favorite activity was tree climbing. My childhood memories are filled with climbing that maple tree after school. Up until we moved, my hands were covered in calluses from climbing and some of the branches had smoothed over where I climbed most. The first video plays tribute to those memories. In many ways, nature really was my playmate growing up, even if other children were not around, I could always find things to do outside whether it was collecting flowers and rocks, observing insects and animals, or climbing trees. The first video is meant to convey that sense of playfulness I found with nature. The second video represents a more mature relationship I developed with nature. Throughout my adolescent years I have always found peace in a quiet nook next to the lake. Whenever I felt stressed or got into a fight, I could always take a run down to the lake and just watch the water ripples hit the sand and listen to the birds calling each other. The endless movement of nature always brought a sense of serenity to me. No matter what, I could count on nature to calm me down. The third video reflects a newer relationship I've found with nature. After gazing at the stars for space science, I am still amazed by how vast nature is and how truly small we are all. It's humbling really, to just admire nature. The third video is meant to convey that sense of smallness as well as a sense of belonging. No matter what, we are made of atoms just like the rest of nature (except for black matter) and even though in the grand scheme of things we are unimportant to nature, we are still part of it. All three of the videos reflect a strong connection I feel with nature. They may not be the interactions I have most with nature or the ones that symbolize a greater human being connection, but they are the ones that I think of first and the feelings I cherish most.

The order of the videos reflect a growing relationship with nature: from childhood playfulness, to adolescent peace finding, to "adult" admiration.

Words said in videos:
First: "Nature is my childhood friend
Second: "Who is always there to calm me down"
Third: "And who is always there to keep me humble"

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