Nature and Me - I'm Growing To Love It.

Nature isn’t something that comes naturally to me. I remember being forced to go to my first summer camp as a kid, only to discover that I was terribly allergic to everything (allergy tests would later confirm this). Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed being outside as a kid, but not around trees or anything! That sounded absolutely terrifying. It wasn’t until I graduated college that I began to really appreciate all that nature has to offer.

Growing up in Chicago didn’t allot me much time to bask in the beauty that lies beyond the City. Now don’t get me wrong, the Westside of Chicago is absolutely stunning with trees, parks, fields, and even a waterfall if you know where to look, but the hustle in bustle of the city pales in comparison to the quiet that is to be found in nature (which is ironic because the thumbnail photo was definitely taken in Tokyo).

I can think of more than a dozen reasons why my family and other African American families haven’t taken the time to explore outside of the city, and I can appreciate those who will read this and will continue to refuse to travel anywhere more than 10 miles out of the city center, but I will encourage others to get out in nature if you can. You don’t have to fly to Japan to look at quiet trees (shoutout Bob Ross), you can find your nearest natural park, small prairie, or even a scenic path by the lake. There is a huge world out here and I, for one, don’t want anyone to miss out on it.

How can you say that your shit don’t stank if you’ve never smelled a flower?