Changing the Nature of Things
by Aaron Eaton
Living in the southwest meant that dry sunny days were normal. The drag of the walk home would burn my neck as we slowly approached my house. My friends and I would run over the dry grass to my backyard and we would go straight to it. The biggest yet shortest palm tree I have ever seen. We all held hands and wrapped ourselves around it. Spreading around the circumference of the tree we could hug it and make memories around the plump little palm. However, that tree is no longer there today, not much of anything that I remember is there anymore. It is all built up now with large buildings, highways, and roads.
Arizona is mostly desert, so when I lived there it had a few homes and a smaller population. However, as I continued to live there the area saw more people moving in from the left and from the right. I remember going to sleep one night and seeing some trailer homes outside my house. When I woke up the next morning I noticed three more trailers set up right in front of my yard. Experiencing the growing population in Arizona left me kind of sad. I always had a love for the outdoors. Just the feeling of being outside filled my body with joy and I loved it. But more people meant they needed more space so after we moved out of there eventually our house and my tree would have to move out too.
One thing that I knew I would never stop loving is the forest. Nature has been a very big part of my life. Sometimes when I need to think I like to go on long walks. I like to walk in the forest and ponder the many things that have been flooding my mind. Since I was a kid I always liked going outside. I consider myself as someone who loves dirt. The smell of the earth is just so refreshing and fills me with an overwhelming sense of joy. I was happy in the woods. I could take of my shoes and hear the crunch of the fallen leaves beneath my toes. I could find a spot in the woods and place my feet on top of it. Then I would imagine that I was the only person to ever step there. My love for nature grew and grew and it shaped many of the things in my life such as my career. I later became an Interpreter in the US government for the forest.
Throughout my life I have been through some crazy situations and have seen many things change. I have had many good memories and life changing events like the birth of my son. However, no ones life is perfect, and there is nothing you can do about that. Throughout my life I have learned that nothing is fair. You are always going to have to work for what you need and want while others may get things easier than you do.
One other thing I have learned is to appreciate those who surround you and who are involved in your life. Take time out of your day to learn about the people you care about most. One day those people are not going to be here. Others are going to want to learn about them, but there will be no one to tell them. “You are the keeper of the memory.” Without you, the memory of the person is lost. Remembering them is the least you can do.