¶ … trek the newly paved cement path that weaves throughout the vicinity, I can't help but gaze in wonderment. There was once a time where this vast land was an open field, I imagine perhaps a field of daisies and sun flowers. As I lay in the soft grass, I notice that it is not soft, it is full of life which makes it seem like a green cushion. The mortality of the grass was something that I have not noticed before, I always knew that grass was a living object, but I never understood that it is actually alive. Rolling around in the grass with my dog, I stumbled into some coarse, prickly, lifelessly hay-like grass. This was when I began to realize that the lively grass would bounce back every time I rolled off of it. This illustrated to me that like the grass, as humans, when something brings us down or pushes us down, we learn from the experience and we are able to bounce back up. From the simplicity of greenery, it showed me the absolute beauty and appreciation of being alive. I notice some trees nearby and I notice the rigorous swaying...

I grabbed the leaf by the stem, then I clench the leaf in my hands, and it crumbles. This life-less maple leaf floating without direction, free from its bind to the branch gave me a sigh of relief. From these observations, it shows that life can be wonderful, and sometimes it can be binding and tedious to the creative mind.
Question 2

I certainly can relate to Thoreau's philosophy. The natural and simple attitude that he presented provides a breath of fresh air in today's very busy and stressful society. Much like Thoreau, I appreciate the individualistic and slightly rebellious attitudes he has pronounced. We both share an affinity for nature and a return to self-reliance and personal interpretations of the universe. I definitely would have liked him and would have sought out his friendship because of our…