Old Fears, New Strength

As a kid I spent a lot of time hiking the mountains and woods surrounding my home town of North Adams. While I got to see a lot of great sites on these treks, I also got to have a lot of great conversations with my father ranging in topic from the fantastical stories of web-slingers and rings of power, to the simple novelties and mysteries the mundane holds for a child, to the very serious changing climate and what it meant for me and these places. And with the appreciation for my natural environment and the fear of their loss these walks through the woods gave me, I grew up.

Many years later and a few months ago, I joined TerraCorps with a position at the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, a decision that’s likely rooted in those conversations long ago. With my service has come a multitude of experiences, but perhaps the most striking is getting to return to these old places in the woods that I haven’t been to since I was very young. With these revisits comes the memories I have playing with my younger sister, my childhood dog enjoying the woods right alongside me, and the conversations me and my father had when we were there. From my service with TerraCorps, I’ve gotten to reconnect with my appreciation for the natural environment in the places that I first learned it. I have also gained an appreciation for the feeling of having a history with the land, and the feeling of being rooted to it.

But with these recollections comes the memories of the fear I felt as a child. However, the fear has taken a different shape. Through my education I have tools and through BNRC and TerraCorps I have connections. With these I have some power to make a difference for the trees and hills of my childhood that made a difference to me.