Having grown up in cities, I feel lucky to attend school in Maine where I can breathe fresh air and experience outdoor freedom. And as I have gotten healthier, I exercise a lot outside. I run cross country in the fall, nordic ski in the winter, and road cycling in the spring. (Go Gould!) I hike, I camp, I swim in the lake. I also do my best thinking while lying in my hammock and watching the clouds. Here is a sijo poem that came to me while skiing in the forest.
Sun, Child, Evergreen
Guardians of Mother Earth protect her lands with limbs and leaves
Nature’s fire spills among them, splashing onto glistening snow
My eyes fill with pools of sunlight, a child among evergreens
