What the Earth Means to Me by Hanna

What the Earth Means to Me by Hanna - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

The day my mom signed me up for engineering summer camp, I wept for hours. They were the kind of tears that sizzle and pop, that sear through the skin with fiery agony and meander into rivulets until they dry up, leaving grief crusted upon one’s face. What seemed like a fun summer experience to most was the most tragic for me. I felt as though a part of me died, the part of me that is so very transcendentalist and in love with the earth’s abundant gifts.
The profound connection I have with nature stems from my Adirondack roots. My grandmother met the love of her life on Piseco Lake, and my family has returned every summer since. Piseco exhilarates my soul, and fills it with the nourishment that can only be achieved through a relationship with the earth. The lake is all the footing I need when I carve through still blue waters on slalom skis. The water is mischievous, and it steals my breath while returning sweet curiosity to my lungs. The mountains sing, the amber skies rise, the celestial night tells myths of dazzling demigods and magnificent creatures. Needless to say I spend my summers in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s own personal heaven.
It was not the camp itself that caused my sorrow, but what it forced me say goodbye to, even if only for two weeks. In my life, I have come to realize that soaking up our planet’s natural artistry is medicine for the mind and body. I find that the two are most connected when within nature, whether it be the rolling Appalachian Mountains or simply the woods outside my house. Ironically, attending the engineering camp helped me to realize that I must find ways to deepen my connection with the earth whenever possible in order to live happily and freely. I now always focus on the beauty of our earth, and I must admit I have done it in the silliest ways. Last summer I recorded every lightning strike from a storm on my Ipad in slow motion, and also memorized the constellations in the Northern Hemisphere. While my friends and family call it lunacy, I call it medicine for the soul.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was criticized and labeled as radical for believing in the divinity of nature and its ability to reveal truth. However, his devotion to individualism and expression of the self meant it did not matter what others thought. Emerson once said to “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” This would be my senior quote, because it reminds me that adventure and a relationship with the earth are never far away. This quote captures my values and epitomizes my philosophy to live life connected with the earth. I remember that to truly engage my soul and be happy, I must do as Emerson told.

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson