Imagine this: It's a beautiful, sunny day in late summer. The entire sky is a brilliant shade of blue and very few puffy white clouds fill the sky. The trees are bright with colors of green, yellow, red, and orange as they begin to change colors for the upcoming season. The breeze blows your hair lightly around you and you can smell the crisp, green grass. The only sounds you hear are the music of birds and the occasional crack of a branch or buzz of a bee.

This is exactly how I have grown up and I must say it has so many perks. Traffic is very minimum, unless there is a concert at nearby Blossom Music Center. Pollution doesn't seem like a real thing considering all you can smell are the trees, leaves, grass, and other flora that surround you. Neighbors are few and far between and if you do have them, they are super friendly. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

I have had many people question me about how growing up away from the city has been. If I wanted to hang out with a friend, the nearest one was a good ten minute drive away from me. Now, that doesn't seem so bad, but when I was younger it was. While everyone else could walk to their friend's house, I had to beg my parents to take a little time out of their day to drive me to whoever's home and then come pick me up a few hours later when I was ready to come home. However, this is probably the only downfall to where I call home.

The older I get, the more I realize what these parks and all the land has done for me. It has kept me active: biking up and down the hills of my backyard for a makeshift trail, walking down my long driveway to get the mail, or hiking the old horse trails that lead to a ravine in my backyard. It has kept me sane because nature has amazing soul healing powers; just a short half hour next to the trickling water of the ravine skipping rocks is all I needed after a rough day.

It wasn't until I got to high school that I really started to explore the land that wasn't necessarily mine, but still welcomed me just the same. While my closest friend lived ten minutes away, so did the nearest park. My love affair with CVNP (Cuyahoga Valley National Park) began my freshman year with a place anyone from the Falls surely knows: The Ledges. Seeing the beautiful rock and walking the trail on a bright fall day was all I needed. The addiction came and overtook me and each park seemed to welcome me with open arms. Brandywine Falls with it's beautiful waterfall still holds as my favorite place to go and Blue Hen Falls lands at a close second. Numerous times I have biked, jogged, and walked along the Towpath and each time I learn or see something new.

Now as I write in my college years, I have extended my love for nature to the Summit Metro Parks. Currently my friends and I are working on completing our first Fall Hiking Spree and the sites still haven't failed to disappoint. The Nature Realm holds beautiful flora of many kinds and The Gorge is a beautiful place to just sit and enjoy the view. I am no where near finishing every trail available, and I can't wait for all the adventures that are sure to come from them.

So, for those who think that living in the "middle of nowhere" away from the city is a terrible thing, think again. I honestly wouldn't change a thing when it comes to what I was blessed with. Nature has been such a huge part of my life and has helped shape me to be the person I am. It has taught me to be patient, to relax, and to be strong. It has been the best stress reliever and the best teacher of many lessons. A small drive to town has been worth all the things I have been able to experience farther out of the city, surrounded by nature.