Back to Normal

Today was one of the most refreshing days I’ve had since being in college. Despite the fact that Thanksgiving is in a few days and I will be going home to see my family, my younger brother came up to visit this afternoon. My brother and I have always been close. Ever since we were children we’ve played in the backyard, eaten ice cream together, and shared some of our most memorable moments. However, once I moved off to college, we began to speak with each other less and less. We still shared a strong bond, but we were not as close. After spending weeks apart and hardly having time to have a full conversation through text messaging, he decided to come up and spend a few days with me. As soon as I found out I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to all of my new friends and take him out to my favorite restaurants. I was also extremely excited to hear about his life, including baseball adventures and about his friends at school. While my brother and I have been speaking less and less, the second he got out of the car we were back to where we were before I left. Now it is almost as if we are even closer than before. As we grow older, we have more in common, and cannot wait to share the smallest details of every story with each other. We spent the entire afternoon and evening discussing what’s going on in our lives. Even though I am going home this week to spend a few days with my entire family, it was rewarding to catch up with my brother beforehand.

My Own World

At times I find myself drifting into my own world. When I pull a book out of my tall, yellow bookshelf I always wander to the same welcoming yet quiet room in my house. Our living room is home to one our most comfortable, but also one of our oldest chairs, and looks out at our backyard filled with green grass, trees, and beautiful flowers. This worn-in chair provides comfort and warmth on rainy days, and is a familiar embrace when I need an escape. The cream colored sides of the chair seem to wrap around me and protect me. Though more than just the chair, books provide me with my own special place. I can dream of a different life when I read books. The stories can be magical or mysterious, romantic or horrific. No matter what the content, I can always escape into a different world. I can use my imagination and put myself in someone else’s shoes or a character’s position. While reading I picture myself wandering through an unfamiliar forest or an exotic jungle, or walking up the steps in a castle, making my way to meet prince charming. I see myself sprinting down a soccer field as I compete in a championship game while the crowd around me cheers. A good book can pull me away from reality for hours. Sometimes I completely forget about time. Depending on the setting and the storyline, I drift off into different lives. Most books completely captivate me. Even if I find that I don’t enjoy the story that I’m reading, I hate setting books down. I like to give every story a chance, and most often I end up finishing every book I read, even if it’s dull. Books allow me to use my imagination and dream while I’m awake. They provide me with an escape out of reality, and my own world.

Nature

There is something peaceful about being outdoors. This past summer, my family and I went to a very small town outside of Truckee called Sierra City. My dad and brother go to Sierra City every year because they love the outdoors. This year they wanted to treat me to their tradition before I went off to college. Sierra City consisted of three hotels, two restaurants, and one market. When we first drove through Sierra City on the winding, dirt path, I felt isolated. We were staying here for four days. Four days was too long of a time to go without cell phone service, Internet, and people, seeing as Sierra City has a population of approximately forty people. From first sight, I thought I’d rather be in Tahoe. However as the days rolled by, I found peace in this small, quaint town. The minute I stepped outside the hotel room, I was overlooking the flowing creek below, surrounded by trees and plants. It felt like a movie or a dream, and as if it wasn’t real. I never would’ve guessed such beauty existed here. The Buttes and mountains towered over everything. It was so quiet that a squirrel could be heard fifty feet away. At nighttime we could hear the creek trickling. After a few days in Sierra City, my brother and I had been staring at a small waterfall carved into a cliff, and we decided we wanted to see it up-close. So we hiked down to the creek, across the water, and finally we made it to the waterfall. Once we were there we were completely mesmerized by its beauty. The scene was straight out of one’s imagination. My brother and I climbed halfway up the waterfall and stuck our heads into the downpour just to see what it would be like. It was a moment I will never forget. My trip to Sierra City put me at ease, despite my first impression of the town. I would love to return with my family next summer again.