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We are all a part of this world, nonetheless our presence isn’t the essence of the universe. Over the course of three days spent on Santa Rosa Island, I have seen the world go round. I’ve felt it move in waves. The experience woke me up. I could finally see the presence existing inside me being reflected all around me. It was magnificent. Everything seemed to come together in a sense of “unity, isolation, and place”, as Cause had clearly emphasized.

Belittlement is hard to overcome. Trust me when I say it’s not easy to stay calm when the waves start to sway harder, faster, and stronger than I could even imagine. But even though I struggled to get out of my little self and into the grand adventure that this island had presented in front of me, I realized I couldn’t do it alone. I couldn’t get out of that dark place that consumed me without letting go. Santa Rosa Island, with the help of the people who traveled with me had brought me clarity. One of these people being a very intriguing art sculptor and geology minor named Matt Furmanski. He taught me two things that I will always keep close to home. One being when Matt expressed that “Influences in our lives help establish the way we are”. Instantly I took that in spiritually, humanistically, and environmentally. He talked about the way trees grow, and how they’re influenced by the wind and the position of the sun. I could see clearly how my family is the wind and God is the sun to me. The realization in this has ultimately shaped me into the person I am today. Without these two reinforcements I couldn’t get through any of life’s challenges. For I know that I am not alone in this world and those connections are a part of me.

Acceptance has eluded me to humility in whatever experience I may face. For this is in relevance towards my own perception of Matt Fermanski’s quote of the “Geological scope of time”. He expressed how the birth of planets and the formation of mountains, ranges, and oceans are all connected within this principle. In that instance I was drawn to the environment around me, in knowing that just like me, it will constantly change on the outside. But my connection to the world around me, as well as the people is what stays the same regardless of what happens. Ideally, I’d like to believe that the environment will one day be balanced in that same connection with Universe but like most things in life, only time will tell.

Here we are, always close, never far from home. Through this experience and many others, I have come to see that home is living inside of me. Forever present, yet seemingly distant at times. I can’t imagine who I would be, let alone how I could be present in this moment without the comfort of home. Support is key to feeling any kind of joy. That same joy is what drives me to be me and move forth with gratitude each and everyday. Without the support I’ve been given from my friends, family, and professors, I wouldn’t be able to move forward without a shadow of doubt in my mind.