A hurricane of color is not what one thinks when they look into the trees and see only green during the summer. However, during the fall it is a completely different world above us. When we look above us we see a variety of different colors. These colors aren’t simply thrown together, they complement each other perfectly, it’s as if each leaf was picked individually. The reds and the oranges flow perfectly together like how a violin and viola can sound the same even though they are significantly different. The yellow and green of the birch trees are two extremely different colors but somehow make sense to be together.

This diverse group of colors reminds me of a symphony, not just one instrument but a mix of beautiful sense-trembling additions coming from all directions. The pine trees look like Norway pines but it is hard to tell from across the lake. The dark green needles stick out against the orange and yellow leaves like a penguin in Africa. Its rich dark color gives it a look of a man in a dark handsome suit. That handsome man being me of course.
When I look at all of the colors and see the vibrant reds, shallow oranges,  yellows, and greens, quite a few things run through my head. When I stare at the oranges and reds I start to think of a fire. The orange leaves hop from tree to tree, burning down the forest in a blazing color flame. However, when I look at the oranges I don’t think of just a fire. I also think of my dog Copper. His coat is an intense orange, only to be matched by the orange of the turning leaves. He is a Golden Retriever and Irish Setter mix which gives him the intense and vibrant orange. During the fall when we let him run loose in the yard we can only tell where he is from his movement. If he lays down in a pile of leaves to rest I cannot see him and I have to call his name to find him.
When I look at the red leaves I think of the time that I went to Detroit. My family had the great privilege to go watch the Minnesota Wild play the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit, MI. I remember it like it was yesterday because of how amazing an experience it was. We walked into the Joe Lewis Hockey Arena, one of the oldest arenas in North America, and we were washed into a sea of red. We had to have been the only Wild fans in the entire city of Detroit. Our green jerseys stuck out against the red sea like the orange and red leaves do against the green pine needles.

My favorite memory was from looking at the pine needles. It brought me back into a time when I did not have to worry about my college classes, when high school seemed easy. Almost immediately after freshman year I was blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime, I was able to travel to Costa Rica with Per Jorgenson and his mother Krista. We spent most of our time in the rainforest where everywhere I looked I saw green. Only green. It was the most amazing experience ever, nothing I have done since has even come close to it. Being able to go out and experience a new country and their customs is an experience that everyone should enjoy some time in their life. My favorite part of the trip was being able to go to the rainforest and be in nature. Everywhere we went we were in nature. Every time I turned my head I saw something new. At one point we saw a vibrant green snake that we had never seen before. We asked our tour guide and he told us that it was one of the more venomous snakes in all of Costa Rica. As we continued on our trip I found a tree that reminded me of home. It looked like a pine tree and when I first saw it I was reminded of how much I missed home, of how happy I am when I’m surrounded by ice and pine trees.

The overall feeling of being in nature makes me happy. As I sit out in nature I don’t have a single care in the world, not about my next football game or even when this paper is due. It is just a relaxing feeling to not have to think about anything and be one with nature. The best part of being in nature is the wind. Hearing the wind breathe in and out of the trees is a relaxing feeling that compares to sitting in a hot tub after a long day of strenuous exercise. It sounds like a lone viola player performing my favorite classical piece, Pachelbel’s Canon in D. This song is my favorite because of the happiness that surrounds it every time it is played. Most of the time it is heard at weddings or during concerts held by younger kids. I remember playing for a solo contest on my viola in sixth grade. I was standing in front of a group of about fifty people. I wore a black shirt and black pants. I remember this because I played against a white background. I stuck out exactly like the dark and handsome pine tree.

While I sit in nature I think of all the different things that I have been able to experience. From going to Costa Rica to playing in my first solo contest they all bring me back in some way. Going to Costa Rica reminds me of appreciating the color around me. Playing in my first solo contest reminds me of sticking out and wanting to be different.