Yesterday, I lived in Wonderland. I wandered through the forest with Alice. I was a young girl, grasping tightly to innocence. I dreamed that I lived in a world of my own, where everything was the opposite of what is. My imagination consumed me. I fantasized of untainted bliss. I was curious to find out more, to discover what the White Rabbit’s very important date was. I searched for my identity, meandering in an unknown land of bizarre creatures like the Mad Hatter. I didn’t know who I would be the next day or what would happen if I suddenly awoke from a dream. My mind soaked up the utter confusion like a sponge, and nonsense triumphed over all.

Today, I am sitting on a log at Walden Pond. Henry David Thoreau kneels on the grass next to me. We admire the hues of the setting sun. Its intensity awakens me, reminding me that I am truly alive. Mother Nature gives me the gift of life, of merely being, wrapped in a little box and decoratively tied with a ribbon. My existence is simple. I ignore time, the 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week, as I bathe in the magnificence of the natural environment around me. I discard my watch to witness the transformation from sun to moon. With Thoreau by my side, I forget civilization and simply listen to the sounds of nature.

Tomorrow, I will reside in the Big Apple. I will share a cup of black coffee with Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. We will talk about literature and current events. I will march to the beat of my own drum. If everyone is wearing black sneakers, I will wear neon green ones. I will be my own person. With a sheet of loose-leaf and a pen in hand, I will write to the tune of my soul. My desire to follow thoughts that rush through my mind will be as strong as the caffeine I consume in the city that never sleeps or stops screaming to the world beyond.

I live in all these places, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I fall in love with nature, the foliage of the trees above, the blanket of snow, and the blossoming of brightly colored flowers. I nestle under a gigantic maple tree with a book, embarking on myriad journeys. I travel into make-believe, encountering absurd characters, standing on the fine line between fantasy and reality. I am effervescent, immersing myself in the beauty of life. I am a devoted citizen of the Big Apple, Walden Pond, and Wonderland. I am all in one; I am I.