Note: I'm running short on writing time as part two of the semester ramps up again, but I'm still determined to maintain my goal of writing stuff I wanna write for at least an hour each day. 

For the first half of this semester (spring 2023), I’ve been so preoccupied with school and other important matters, that I haven’t gone further west than my house.I haven’t ventured into nature even slightly. On days that I had time and energy to sneak away into the woods, I didn’t go. Why? Well… I simply didn’t feel like it. I'd convinced myself that I was better off playing video games or napping than being in the wilderness. 

For the record, it was never a good decision to forgo running around in the wilderness to play World of Warcraft. Well... I did it anyway because... reasons. 

As the semester wore on, my depression became more and more apparent. I became increasingly jumpy, irritable, cynical, and just downright grumpy. My anxiety seeped into my writing and my school work. I had everything to complain about, but nothing to be grateful for. Obviously, that wasn’t good. 

By week five of the semester, my physical health began to take a turn for the worse, too. I didn’t tell anyone, because I have a bad habit of ignoring problems until they get too big to ignore. But, my appetite wasn’t there, I was losing weight, my sinuses were getting a little stuffy, and my digestive tract just didn’t want to work no matter what I ate. I was also getting really tired, to the point I’d come home from class, sit down on my bed, and wake up five hours later in complete darkness still wearing my coat and boots. 

Still, I figured I could survive until Spring Break, then use that time to relax and recover. But, the last two weeks before Spring Break were grueling, to say the least. 

I kicked off Spring Break by visiting my favorite public lands around the South Platte River with my dad. Using my Rebel T7 camera for the first time since before the semester kicked off, I snapped some epic photos around the river. During that frosty morning alongside the river, my love for nature and the outdoors was reignited. I no longer “didn’t feel like” venturing back into nature to recenter myself and reconnect with God. 

After just a short little morning visit to the river, it was like I was back to my old self. Well... not entirely. But, it was a start.