As I sit there facing out across the lake, the breeze blows across my face. The tree leaves around me whistle while dancing with the wind. Today for English class we went out to a forest our school owns to write about nature. It is west of Park Rapids just a few miles and is called the Brush Lake forest. Brush Lake sits in front of me shimmering from the sun just creeping over the trees. Small waves quietly splash into the shore. To my left is a young tree not much taller than me. The oak tree’s leaves are still in the process of changing from fresh lively green leaves to bright orange and red fall leaves.

Everywhere I look I can see the transition from warm summertime to cool fall time. The temperature has dropped dramatically making the water colder, leaves darker, and air crisper. All of the color changing is in full swing. No longer are the trees plump full of leaves.

Off in the distance, I see a fish jump out of the water, causing the water to ripple around it. I’m just a few feet off of shore and have a good view of the lake. Through the crystal clear water, I can see each individual rock in the sand. A few of them are almost perfectly circular like marbles resting in the sand. Around a weed another fish calmly swims along. The whole forest is buzzing with life.

All around me, I hear the little animals in the woods making a racket. A woodpecker is busy pecking at a tree trying to find food. To my right a squirrel crunches in the leaves looking for acorns. In front of me across the lake a duck flies by looking for an area to nest in. Right after that, a flock of geese flies by in their V formation high above looking for a field to land in to find food. In the waters by my feet, a bass swims by the weeds stealthily. All of these animals are in such a hurry trying to find food and shelter to stay alive. It is beginning to remind me of how busy my life has become as I have grown up.

Ever since I have hit high school, life has become a blur. Keeping up with sports, working, and having a social life is time consuming. It starts to seem like I am always busy and never have time to just relax. Back when I was younger I always felt I could sit back and relax if I was feeling too busy. Not anymore. Now there is always one more thing to do or something coming up.

The animals in the forest don’t have time to sit around and relax. They have to prepare for winter and survive. The squirrels are out gathering nuts as fast as possible to stash them for winter. In the sky, geese fly by always looking for new places to find food. They don’t have time to think about relaxing or hanging out with their friends. All they have time for is working to stay alive. Sometimes I feel like I’m just like all these animals hurrying around to stay alive.

High School puts this kind of pressure on a person. Keeping up with sports and school gets to be a lot. During golf season we miss many days of school for meets. Sometimes we end up missing entire days of school. The rest of the school doesn’t wait for me though. The rest of the school continues on handing out more tests and assignments. Whether it's a final exam or a five point worksheet I have to find time to squeeze this into my schedule. Just like the squirrels don’t get to chose when winter comes I don’t get to choose when I want my homework turned it.

Sometimes we just need a break.

One way of relieving this stress is getting away from it for a short time. One of my favorite ways to do this is deer hunting. Getting out to the stand when the air still bites your skin and the sun still isn’t up yet is worth it. It's a perfect excuse to go out and enjoy nature. Being out in nature gives you time to think and not worry about everything else going on in life. This helps to clear your mind before going back into the busy world.

By now the breeze has picked up, blowing my paper around, making it harder to write. The small waves before have increased in size and are now hitting the shore with force. The sun is now higher in the sky, and I can feel its warm rays on my skin. I can hear birds chirping echoing across the lake. It truly is a beautiful morning.