Nature

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.

It seems that only when it snows and the environment is blanketed with a nice sound absorbing coat do I realize the true serenity of nature. When it snows and you're in a secluded area the only sounds you hear are that of nature. There has been numerous times where I have just been sitting in the woods snowboarding with friends and I find myself focusing on that eerie sound of nothing. If I hear anything its the sound of the wind blowing the trees and the branches cracking or maybe a bird chirping somewhere off in the distance. It's odd because it seems that sound doesn't echo and what not but it still travels equally as far. It's hard to explain this feeling and I'm sure most others who snowboard have experienced it.

It's not just when its snowing though. I think to truly experience the beauty of nature you need to put yourself in situations where you won't be near the hustle and bustle of the city. I grew up spending a lot of time in the woods with my friends riding bikes and what not. I think because of that I really learned to appreciate the forest. It's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. All too often now-a-days do you hear about global warming or the decline of the environment that we live in because of us. How can you really understand what you are destroying if you haven't witnessed it? I'm confident that once you witness it you will care more about keeping it in tact.

I really think experiencing nature is pretty self explanatory however here is a link to the national park website. Visit a national park near you or even just take a trip to the beach or some woods near by your house. I just want to remind people to take time to enjoy nature and not forget how perfect everything on Earth is.

Albert Einstein quote

Good Food

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

After my last post about traveling it made me think of food. If and when you are traveling the world you will be subject to different styles of food. Yes, you can eat food from all corners of the world here in America but it may not be exactly how it is if you were to eat it in that country.

I actually came across a website called Beau Monde Press. This website was created and is run by Jeannette Belliveau, a world traveler, journalist and speaker. On her site she lists a some cookbooks that she has found to be accurate and useful. By using some of these cookbooks you can at least eat food from all over the world without having to travel it.

It's not just about eating good food or making good food. Food can bring us together which links back to the post on friends. Making a dinner for a couple of friends can be a really good way to gather. Share good food, good drinks and good times. I myself am not a good cook but I can attest to the fact that making dinner for some friends is great. Once every two weeks my roommates and I would get together and one of us would make dinner. We would sit around the table and have good conversations.

I included a video that shows you how to cook chicken fried rice. This is one of my favorite international foods:

Virginia Woolf Quote

Travel

Not all those who wander are lost.

In my experience people who have travelled tend to talk very highly of it. They will say things like "it made me a better person" or it "really opened my eyes and matured me". I'm pretty sure that most of this kind of talk comes from people who do long travels such as backpacking Europe. However, thats not always the case. Even a small weekend travel to an unknown place can broaden your mind.

As a child I always enjoyed adventures whether it was just a mountain biking ride through the woods in my town or a road trip with my family and friends. This year I decided to buy a ticket to Frankfurt, Germany with two of my friends. We intend to travel around Europe for at least one month. I've always wanted to travel around Europe with my friends and see parts of the world that I haven't yet.

We don't leave until May 16th so we have a bit of time to plan. This is the part where you wan to make sure you get it right. You don't want to miss something that you would be interested in. I started by looking on a website called Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet is wonderful! They have destinations around the world and have utilized Google Maps to help. If you look at Europe for example there is place marks set at cities. You can click the place marks and see pictures and read reviews. There really is a plethora of websites that will help you gain insight on travel destinations in Europe but in my opinion one of the best ways to learn is by asking someone who has done it. A perfect example is a blog that I found called Fire At Will: Memphis to Munich.

Hallstatt, Austria in the winter:

J.R.R. Tolkien Quote

Friends

Truly great friends are hard to find,

difficult to leave,

and impossible to forget

What would we be without our friends and family? I took a road trip this weekend to Charleston, South Carolina for Ice Hockey. The drive is approximately 4 hours so I had plenty of time to think about the significance of friends and family. I want to talk about friends first.

At one point on the ride I was thinking about how different that I could be at this point if it weren't for some of my friends. I mean I may not even be at Flagler right now in fact I'm almost positive that if it weren't for some of my friends I definitely wouldn't be here. I feel this way because my friends influenced me to be interested in different things and shaped me as a person. I have always thought that it is a good idea to try to have friends from all kinds of groups not just one. You are a product of your environment, that being said a little bit of variety is always good. Different people will give you different insights on things.

This weekends trip to South Carolina helped me realize that friends who really mean something to you will continue to be friends throughout time. I was lucky enough to see two people who I have been able to keep in touch with for many years. Relax and enjoy time with your friends because they may mean more to you than you think. Keep in touch with old friends and don't be scared to make new ones.

G. Randolf Quote

The Root of It

Yesterday is history,

Today is a gift,

Tomorrow is a mystery.

So, I didn't really know what "simple thing" I wanted to discuss first so I decided that I would discuss the importance of enjoying everyday and being thankful for it. This, I figure, is the root for even being able to enjoy the simple things in life. People will often tell you to never take a day for granted. Sometimes I will find myself complaining about trivial and pointless things throughout my day that may seem large to me but in the scale of things mean nothing. With this mindset I definitely think it is easier to enjoy life.

This whole realization really came to me this morning when I was driving home from ice hockey practice in Jacksonville. Our practices are on the ice once a week and off the ice once a week. The on the ice practice is at a painful 5:30 am which means I need to get up at 4:30 am to get there with about 5-10 minutes to get ready. These times usually give me a personal struggle and leave me complaining on a Monday night ha ha. I had not been to practice in 3 weeks and have been considering maybe not playing, keep in mind that I love hockey and have been playing since I was 7, however this really is my last chance to play hockey at a decent level.

The alarm rang at 4:30 am, I turned it off and laid there for a minute really thinking "screw it, my life is too busy and getting up at 4:30 is too much." Nonetheless I got up and went. Three hours later after practice, yes it's still dark outside, I start my drive back. For some reason I was really awake and in a good mood. I started thinking about how maybe getting up so early and getting exercise isn't such a horrible thing. I think it was because maybe I had not touched the ice in over 3 weeks and it just made me really happy. It might have also been seeing the guys on the team that I had not seen in awhile also. I've always thought that it is good to have a variety of friends from different groups that way you don't surround yourself with too much of one thing. I was really happy that I went and didn't give up on the whole thing.

The moral of the story is not to take a day for granted. This in turn will help you enjoy life. Try to remember today is a gift.