Kealey's rough rough draft

Kealey Zaumseil

Transcendentalist Essay

Very rough draft #1

“…but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance.” Ralph Waldo Emerson stated this in his piece Nature. To some, this may completely seem irrelevant or false, but for me, this statement couldn’t be truer.  Growing up in a small mountain town, nature, and all her creatures, have seemed to impact me in ways unpredictable. Although I may get carried away from time to time with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, nature is always there me. Never is there a moment when I can’t turn to her for help. When stress over whelms me, problems build up, or life gets rough, nature will always be there to listen. Judgment is not her forte. Nature is kind hearted and allows me to escape my reality to seek answers that lie within her.

I am not able to teach one how Nature helps me get through my problems and hope that they understand and are able to apply it to their own lives. Just as Emerson believes, one cannot be thought, they must experience nature for themselves. I can however share an experience that Iv had which exemplifies nature’s powers. One day this summer Mikaela and I wore bored out of our minds. Remembering we lived in the middle of beauty, we decided to take advantage of it. Originally we had our sights set on hiking up to Gold Hill. However, this was nothing new for us, we had conquered this route multiple times. When we reached our destination though, we were still astonished. Sun beat down upon us, wind sent leaves soaring through the air, trees cast shadows, and rocks tumbled down the hill. All of which made up a perfect setting. The mountains never ceased to amuse us.  We were surrounded by nothing but pure nature. Hungry for more of this bliss feeling, we proceed into Wasatch. Neither of us had had ever been back there before, so neither of us were prepared for how long we would be gone for, but those hours ended up being some of the best.

To this day, spontaneously adventuring into Wasatch has been the one of the most eye opening experience of my life. Reaching the back of the saddle was absolutely stunning. I watched as chipmunks scurried along the path collecting food. The butterflies floated by on their way to a blooming flower field. Birds soared above scavenging for their next meal. The river flowed down its course. Nothing seemed to panic when something new, Mikaela and I, came along. Everything worked around us and went about their normal lives.  Even though I wasn’t exactly alone in nature, as Emerson would have liked, it felt as if I were. Seeing all this put me into solitude within my own mind, and I think that is what you need to have happen to discover natures secrets. Watching the animals interact with nature brought me to some realizations. As Emerson would have said, all my mean egotism began to vanish.  I was able to truly able to grasp the message nature had been trying to whisper to me. The animals showed me that I couldn’t let little things interrupt my life, that if there is a way to work around them, I should do so. The river showed me that sometimes in life there is a set path, and rather than fighting it and causing unnecessary destruction, I should just go with the flow.  Also realized how small my problems seemed to the grad scheme of things. When I took a step back, I realized that I could no longer see the town. I was miles outside of any civilization, and when I tried to think of my problems I had earlier that day, like not having anything to wear, I laughed. I get so caught up in society, that sometimes I forget to look at the bigger picture of life, and nature has always helped me get to that picture. I think Emerson would have been proud of the realizations I had back in the saddle of Wasatch.

After spending many moments in silence, Mikaela and I decided to make our decent back to our tiny town. This time though, we went at a slower pace, neither of us trying to rush to the finish line. I think we both appreciate nature more after those few moments, but I cannot speak for her. As we weaved our way down the valley, ever little thing seemed greater. As cliché as this sounds, the grass seemed greener, the river clearer, even the sky bluer. I think this is what Emerson was trying to express when he talks about how we take the stars for granite. He talks about if they were only to show once in a thousand years, we would adore them. Living in Telluride, I see these objects every day at their finest, but it was in those hours of solitude that I appreciated them the most.

As we closed in on town, we met up with the bear creek trail. Mikaela and I were no longer alone in nature. People passed by us gibbering away. Cell phones rang. Children ran around franticly screaming for their dog to come back. It was apparent that we were once again in society, yet I still felt at peace with myself. I could still see nature’s magic working everywhere. Although throughout the week I may have lost the exact clarity of my thoughts I had back in the saddle, I could always retain them by entering nature and the solitude of my mind again. The more and more hikes I went on that summer, the longer the clarity of the thoughts lasted. I do agree with most of Emerson’s ideas, except I don’t believe you have to be alone in nature all the time. I believe you just need one experience to show you how to reach the solitude of your own mind in nature. Once you achieve this, you can tap into it any time it be needed. Many think society is a wonderful creation, many think nature is the answer, I think its finding a balance between both is what creates peace within ones self.