The Swing Behind My House
Out behind my house, there is a row of fruit trees. At the end of the row, there is a small open building with a swing inside. Sitting in that swing, I can see off the top of the ridge on which my family lives. When I sit there, looking down past the rows of trees and far into the distance, I realize that the place is mine. It is important to me because it is associated with so many memories, it gives me a place to be alone, and it gives me a chance to be outside in nature.
I have grown up living in the same house my whole life, and that swing has been there for as long as I can remember. I have so many memories of that place. Some of my best memories have been very recent. Before we were dating, my girlfriend and I would sit out there for long periods of time just talking. Now that place is full of memories of Karen. Even now it is comforting to sit there because it reminds me of those times. However, memories of my girlfriend are not the only memories that place holds. Growing up, I have spent time there with both friends and family. I even have memories of sitting there alone, contemplating my life's events.
In fact, being alone is one of the reasons I go there so much. Having time alone is very important to me. It gives me a chance to think clearly without being interrupted. It seems as if there are now fewer and fewer places where that is possible. No one can bother me there. No one can yell at me, argue with me, or annoy me at all. I guess this place helps to keep me from going crazy. I think everyone needs some time alone. I know I do.
Another wonderful quality about my spot on that swing is the fact that it is outside. It is out in the fresh air and natural light and away from technology. I never bring a cell phone or laptop there. I feel as if technology would somehow corrupt the natural beauty of the spot. I do not need to worry about telephones, cell phones, or e-mails in that spot. The beauty of nature is enough for me. It helps me to clear my mind and gives me time to reflect on what is really important in my life.
Imagine your first home. The place where you lived right after you were born. Where you took
My dwelling is not much, but it suits my needs, and out there I don’t need much. All I have is a chair to read in, a toilet under the tree outside, and a bed. I only have the necessities that I need to live. I build a fire every night for warmth and to cook my food. My house is just a cabin that can only fit me and my dog skip just the way that I want it. Flowers that make it look pretty and interesting surround my cabin. It’s something that’s cozy and something that I can just go to and think and be by myself and never have to worry about anybody or anything but my pets and myself.
I wasn’t even outside but I could feel the warm glow the sun was projecting all across the campsite. It seemed as if the first three days were gloomy and dreary, but when the sun on the fourth day arose, it washed away the heartache I had felt. I headed out of the trailer and went straight to the river. I walked to the edge, where my feet barely touched the icy water, and I felt a sense of tranquility emanate from the river. I felt as if the whole place had transformed and was back to being the place I loved the most. That day, when we went out on the boat, I went wakeboarding for the first time without my grandma. While I was up on the board and cutting through the wake of the boat, it didn’t feel like the boat was the one pulling and guiding me, it felt like the river was pushing and leading me. It was always nice to receive the reassurance from my grandma after wakeboarding, but this time I received it from my surroundings. The trees that were already three times the size of me, seemed to stand even taller as I glided past them on the river. The sun encouraged me with its brightness and warmth, and the River revitalized me with its powerful currents. The next three days passed by with ease, I no longer needed to reminisce of what my trips used to be like. Instead, I could be present in the moment, surrounded by the beautiful natural
Type 1 diabetes, is an incurable but treatable disease which can occur at any age but is mostly found in children due to the high levels of glucose in the blood (Eckman 2011). Juvenile diabetes affects about 1 in every 400-600 children and more than 13,000 are diagnosed yearly (Couch 2008). Type 1 Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, is too high. With Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone, which helps glucose gets into your cells to provide energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, gums and teeth (American Diabetes Association). Previous research has suggested proper insulin management, a balanced diet and exercise will help maintain glycemic control and lessen the chance of complications (Couch 2008).
As a child growing up in a rural county, I didn’t have soccer practice or dance recitals; no play dates or playgrounds. I had trees to climb, woods to explore, bikes to ride and adventures to be had. I had bare feet in the grass, wincing on the gravel driveway, rocks digging into my soles. I had walnuts to crush, plums to eat, flowers to pick, bugs to catch. I had my little brothers to bug me, my mom to take care of me, my dad to laugh with me and my grandparents to hold me. I had books to read, worlds of words to get lost in. I had Saturday morning cartoons, Sunday morning church, and fireflies to catch every night.
Sense of place is the “development of level of comfort and feelings of safety that are associated with a place” (Kopec, p. 62). These associations often translate into that desired sense of belonging, and allow individuals the ability to “develop feelings of attachment to particular settings based on combinations of use, attractiveness, and emotion” (Stokowski, 2002). Developing these psychological connections with certain places lends itself to the concept of place attachment, or, “a person’s bond with the social and physical environments of a place” (Kopec, p. 62). These places often hold deep meaning for people because their identities were established among their surroundings. This affiliation between a person and their place is often seen through personal connection, comfort, and security (Kopec, p. 131). Many people feel as though the place they are in should have its own “special character”, or an identity that defines it, and distinguishes it from other places (Kopec, p.1). Kopec states, “An environment’s distinct spatial features, how it compares with others, its connections to personal life paths, and its potential for change combine to affect the meanings places have for people”. An establishment of this sense of place identity ...
Okhamafe, Imafedia. "Geneological Determinism in Achebe's Things Fall Apart." Modern Critical Interpretation: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2002. 125-44. Print.
It was finally fall break. I was visiting my grandma for a few days. Well past dinnertime, I pulled up to the white stately home in northern rural Iowa. I parked my car, unloaded my bag and pillow, and crunched through the leaves to the front porch. The porch was just how I had seen it last; to the right, a small iron table and chairs, along with an old antique brass pole lamp, and on the left, a flowered glider that I have spent many a summer afternoon on, swaying back and forth, just thinking.
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens is a fascinating tale of love and fortune. The main character, Pip, is a dynamic character who undergoes many changes through the course of the book. Throughout this analysis the character, Pip will be identified and his gradual change through the story will be surveyed.
I pulled into the driveway of my house and parked my car. I grabbed my coat and bag and opened the door. When I got out I instantly began to smell the sweet aroma of the long rose bushes making their way out of our fence and into the world of our driveway. I was so captivated by the fall breeze, and the beautiful smell of fall in the air that I didn't even know that I was to the door. As I snapped back into reality, I looked up and I was standing at my doorway.
Growing up in a massive neighborhood magnificent. My neighborhood flooded with kids around my age to hang out with. Occupying the edge of this neighborhood was a large park where the neighborhood’s kids and I would spend most of our time eliminating their boredom. When this park would not satisfy our needs, there were
Point blank, diabetes is a serious disease and causes major effects on people’s daily lives. In a society where food comes in such abundance, people are overeating. Compared to the beginning of the twenty first century when only about five percent of the population had diabetes (Nazarko, 2009), today that number is rising and continuing to do so. This is starting to affect the health of children by being diagnosed with diabetes at a young age. When a child has diabetes it becomes very serious since children are at such a young age to deal...
The feeling of security that was so pure. It became a reminder of a time when everything was simple and it was so easy to find happiness in the most unexpected ways. I remember considering myself lucky whenever my mother would indulge in my pleas to play the piano. Never would have I thought that listening to the notes of “Send In the Clowns” or a song from Forrest Gump could give me so much joy. Another fond memory was our parents allowing my siblings and I to play in the rain. Being given permission to do so was already a big thing for us. To be able to enjoy such a simple act is something I hold unto. This house is the symbol of my childhood innocence and a life unmarred by worries. This is the place where I 've felt contentment in its most basic
“Charles Dickens: Great Expectations.” (2 Feb, 2006): 2. Online. World Wide Web. 2 Feb, 2006. Available http://www.uned.es/dpto-filologias-extranjeras/cursos/LenguaIglesaIII/TextosYComentarios/dickens.htm.
When reminiscing about my childhood a home is hard to recall. It seemed common for others to have a place called home. Moving from house to house was not the problem, but the empty feeling. Home to me was my grandparent’s house. I spent nearly all of my childhood there. My grandparents bought the one story house with two bedrooms in the early seventies. From the spacious bedroom, to the kitchen with endless possibilities and the way I spent my time this house defined my character.