SENIOR ISSUE: Always Green

By Navya Shukla

Always Green

by fourth year Kayla Freeman

As I sat, enduring the final days of my current reality amid the impending future awaiting me once I walk across that stage, I found myself tempted by the relentless urge to peer ahead. To continue to chase the next achievement... milestone... that elusive version of myself who will finally feel content.

However, a scene unfolded before me that would etch itself into my memory. There, beneath the comforting shade of a tree in my backyard, laid a patch of grass so vibrant and alive that it seemed to hum with the song of the earth itself. Winter's icy grip had finally loosened, and whispers of spring's arrival danced around me.

Entranced by this simple yet profound beauty, I paused in my tracks. My storm of thoughts about the future faded into the background as I allowed myself to be fully present in the moment. The grass was so green. I had spent months waiting for the passage of time to change the seasons and it was finally here right in front of me. The dreams I had once chased so fervently seemed distant and faded, overshadowed by the brilliance of the here and now.

I thought back to the hopes and aspirations of my younger self, the vision of the person I had always wanted to become; my own grass. At that time I often wished I could fast-forward to a point in my life when the grass would be greener, when all my dreams would have blossomed into reality. But as I stood there gazing at the vibrant patch of grass beneath the old tree, I realized the fallacy in that desire. The grass wasn't greener in some distant future; it was green where I stood, in the present moment.

As I reflected further, I realized something profound. I had achieved more than past me could have ever dreamed of. Not only was the grass green but there were flowers, butterflies, and beautiful things I hadn’t dreamt I would have, but surrounded me in beauty in the best way.

I understood then that I could keep watering my own grass now. It wasn't just a metaphorical notion; it was a reality. I could still tend to my dreams in the present and also enjoy the lush greenery of who I am now. The future holds its own mysteries, but at this moment under the shade of the tree, I found contentment in the realization that my grass was already green, and it was up to me to nurture it further.