As I sat on the ledge of a cliff, staring down at the water below, I thought of the times when I was younger how I was so innocent and free. How most things in life were strange to me, yet so familiar. I watched the rushing water of the waterfall violently thrash about and flow down over the rocks. Among the trees I could hear birds chirping and other animals moving about through the thick jungle that surrounded me. Suddenly, another flash of my childhood ran through my mind. Remembering how I used to laugh and play inspired me to be a better person, a more uplifted, calm spirit. I realized now that throughout the years I had lost that innocence that I once had. That effervescent, childlike humor that once filled my soul, that freedom that I held deep within my heart that consumed every fiber of my being, the untainted pureness of my heart. The vivid dreams of being in a fantasy land with unicorns and faeries, the wild imagination, I miss it all so. I never thought that having looked back at my childhood and reflecting upon it that I would have grown to be so unimaginative and so blind to the beauty of that childlike innocence that once ran through my bones. I took a deep breath and slowly rose to my feet and as I walked slowly along the cliff side I gazed out at my surroundings. This beautiful forest, untouched by mankind, the pureness and gentleness I felt surrounding me. It was as if, for a moment in time, I was a young girl once again, running through the fields laughing and not having a care in the world. I had the sudden urge to just run. Run through the fields, run through the forest, run to the edge of the earth and back. I looked around me once more, and set a goal off in the distance. I told myself to go for it, to just run and eventually I would reach my destination.
I took a deep breath, and then another, and began to run as fast as I could. I never imagined I would get such a rush of adrenaline from just running, but I did. I couldn't stop myself from smiling and I just kept running. I reach up and let my hair down, letting it flow behind my like wildfire in the Serengeti. I took another deep breath and slowed my pace. I hadn't run this hard in years, but it felt so great to just be constantly moving. I had a feeling as if nothing could touch me, like if I just kept moving I would be safe from the rest of the world and nothing could possibly harm me. I felt as if the whole world had disappeared and for just that instance I was free to do whatever I pleased, free to be me, free to laugh and love and have fun. I continued running as I had planned to do and neared my goal destination, a secluded and peaceful area deep in the forest that lay ahead of me. I could feel sweat run down my back, the heat was getting to me, causing me to slowed my pace even more so than I had already done. When I finally reach my destination, I sat on an old, rotting log and attempted to catch my breath. As I sat there taking slow, deep breaths, I looked around me and, in awe of my surroundings, moved to the ground, slowly laying my head on the log and closing my eyes. I could hear my heart beating fast and feel the blood rushing through my veins. Memories of my past filled my head and I felt a shy smile creep upon my face as I lay there on the forest floor still reminiscing my childhood and how much fun I used to have just laughing and loving life. I took yet another slow, deep breath and, having my eyes closed, listened to the beautiful music created by the nature that surrounded me. I could hear the flowing water of a creek, the chirping of birds, the rustling in the trees and bushes caused by small animals and so much more.
The sounds of nature were so very relaxing, I felt as if I could lie there all day and night and be just as comfortable as I would be in a luxurious hotel room sitting in a hot, bubbling Jacuzzi tub with soft music playing in the background and dim candlelight filling the room. The natural aroma filling the air, the scent of fresh creek water, the smell of a natural surrounding, it just blew me away. I thought about all the “high society, business class” people living in the big city and what they were missing out on. If they could take just one day to walk in the forest and take a breath of fresh, unpolluted air, I would bet that they would never want to go back to their hectic life in the office. Having learned from my mistakes, I now try my hardest to take more pride in life’s simple pleasures. I stop more often to smell the roses and take into consideration my surroundings and the beauty of nature that so many have long forgotten. Just as they have long forgotten their childhood innocence. Maybe if more people would take the time to stop and breathe just one breath of fresh air, stop to look at the beauty of nature that may or may not surround them, or stop and talk to a total stranger, a bum on the street, and offer a listening ear, maybe the world would change for the better. Lost in the assumption that beauty is perfection and success is power, we forget the natural beauty, the untouched perfection that is nature. Children now grow up in a superficial and shallow society where they are taught that in order to succeed you must be willing to sacrifice everything, including who you really are deep down in your heart. That, however, is not true. To succeed in life takes much more than sacrifice, it takes knowledge and bravery. You must first be willing to stand up for what you believe is right, before you are able to sacrifice any part of who you are.
In my personal opinion, you should never sacrifice any part of who you are to succeed in anything. What truly matters is what you believe is right. No one can stop you from being beautiful inside and out but you. You are the only you and to stand your ground and say “I am free, and I am beautiful” gives you more power than succeeding in having a big fancy house with an expensive car and a corner office with a view of the city. It takes more courage to admit that you are wrong more so than right than it does to say you can change something to make it right. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I must have fallen asleep, but for how long, I was unsure of. It was getting late and I headed back towards town. I had wandered off alone into the forest behind the park to get away from the people that were bringing me down. I needed time to myself to figure out who I really was as a person. I needed to find my place in the world. Though I hadn’t quite succeeded in doing so, I had made progress. I had found a forgotten beauty that I thought was lost but in fact was right before my eyes all the while.
