I come from a naturist place. I live in a small town where locals cannot tell if fall or summer is more beautiful. There isn’t much to do in my town, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to see. I could talk about the confidential driveway that, if you sneak down at the perfect moment, you see the most extraordinary view of the sun beaming close to Earth or the place down a dirt track that leads to glass-like water in the center of the woods that mirrors the mountains above.One of the prettiest places to see is the star of the town. 

In the Village Common Square is a tree placed perfectly on top of a hill. The tree’s colors alter when fall rolls around and the beautiful flowers bloom off of the limbs in the summer. Every local walks around town, gazing in awe at that tree, the way it stands in solidarity on the hill, and it holds such elegance. 

People come from all around just to witness the beautiful tree blossom. Scenery such as that cannot be held within the four walls of a screen. It would not come close to capturing its full beauty. The piece that makes it so remarkable is the environment with which it encircles itself. 

The sun makes these landmarks possible. The sun hits my skin and gives me an immediate boost of serotonin to make my pale face stand out. The sun can take any object, and bring out its colors that were invisible at first glance. 

In numerous ways, I want to be like the tree, how it gets to stand there all day at the top of the hill and take in the sun’s powers. It is so content with being isolated and not afraid to show its true colors. The way it stands so tall no matter what wind comes around. When the weather gets cold and it starts to shed its color, it still stands there content with itself because it knows that it is just time to sleep before summer. 

I want the confidence that tree holds, and I want to look at life with its optimistic energy.

I feel like a tree’s life is effortless. They don’t have to make any decisions. Everything is selected for them, no stress, no worries. Money isn’t prioritized, and anger isn’t a thing. Trees don’t fight over who has more friends or who has nicer clothes.. 

I was told growing up to never judge a book by its cover. Today, that’s all people do, especially in college. The reason why sight is so important is because it is the only thing people my age care about. How you dress, when you go to class, how much skin you show at a party, the color of your teeth, the way your hair is styled, and the decision you made that day on what shoes to wear. I wish sight wasn’t what made the world spin around. I wish that you could be beautiful without all the name-calling. I wish to be as comfortable in my skin as the tree on top of the hill in the Village Common Square.