Few places provide me the same peace, comfort, and quiet as the woods. There, the only sounds are leaves rustling, birds calling to one another, and the soft thump of my sneakers sinking into early spring dirt. I look up and around at the canopy that towers high above my head. Stooping down, there's a microcosm of insects that catch my eye, scurrying busily, perhaps unaware I'm watching.
When I began to live and work in other places, I realized I craved the rich greenery I grew up with. Looking out the windows on my train rides home after a long day in the city, I'd feel my mind slow its pace as I watched the scenery shift from a grey, concrete jungle to forests, alive and breathing.