One With Nature

Note: This post is going to be cheesy. I both recognize and accept that.

Initially, I had planned to post a blog ranting about the Paraguayan school system. It’s typed up and everything, just waiting to be posted, but I have decided to save it for another day. Yesterday, something truly awesome happened, so I am going to write about that instead.

I remember the first time I felt it. I don’t think it was the first time I experienced it, but it was the first time I recognized how incredibly amazing the feeling was. I was studying abroad in Bilbao for a semester, and happened to live 10 minutes away from a beach. At the beginning of my semester it would be packed with sunbathers, but as the weather changed, less and less people were there on my visits. Finally, on one of my last trips before it got too cold, I was the only person sitting on the beach. I remember sitting there and watching the waves crash onto the shore, blissfully happy and thinking about how this is exactly where I am supposed to be. Before I knew it the sun was setting, 2 hours had passed, and I needed to rush home before dark. That night I remember thinking to myself what an incredible time that was. Just me and nature, coexisting peacefully, and enjoying each other’s company.

So yesterday, I decided to take a midday walk around my town. There was a part that I hadn’t visited in a while, and so I wanted to check it out again. As I got near the turn around point, I heard a noise up ahead. Assuming it was a cow blocking my way, I grabbed a stick off the ground and continued on. But once I realized the noise was coming from up in the trees, I stopped dead in my tracks. Monkeys! Up above, were 5 or 6 monkeys, swinging from the branches. And if you didn’t know already, monkeys are my favorite animals ever. Needless to say, I freaked out! I grabbed my camera, called my mom and some friends, and watched cautiously from the ground. After the initial excitement wore off, I just stood there for a few minutes, soaking it in. I was watching them; they were watching me; both of us a taking each other in. Again, I had that powerful feeling that you can only get from these occasions.

I’m sure you are all thinking, “Em, chill out… it was just a few monkeys”! But it’s that feeling that makes it so great. When it is just you and nature, recognizing each other’s presence, and taking it all in. It’s a different feeling when you experience it all alone rather than other people, and I absolutely love it.

Here are some pics of my new best friends. Hope you all have a great weekend! Go Cubs Go!