So, Where Are You From?

The snow-capped mountains of Colorado.The tree-covered valleys of Connecticut.The coastal bays of Maryland.The rolling hills of Virginia.The expansive fields of Missouri.The golden coastline of California.I am from each of these places and can't pick just one.These landscapes have equally shaped me for the last 18 years, and I owe my perspective on life to the sensations and circumstances surrounding them.Scrubby bushes rustling as the dry wind skims over the land.Snow glistening at the top of a distant peak.The silence of nature, broken only by a big black dog barking once at foraging deer and quickly hushed by quiet voices.The smells of pine needles and wood smoke permeating the air.The only light coming from the stars shining clearly in the crisp mountain air.