Singing
Singing has been a passion of mine from a very young age. I still vividly remember belting out made-up songs as a 5-year old, not caring at all about whether I was in tune. I just loved feeling the notes resonate through my body and watching the joy it brought to people around me.
As I grew older, I began taking voice lessons and learning music theory. I started off shy, but with my teacher's encouragement, my confidence grew over time. When I stepped on stage for my first solo recital at age 12, I was incredibly nervous, but that all melted away into pure exhilaration once I hit that first note. Feeling the audience connect with the emotional places I could transport them to through song was magical. I was hooked.
Now as an adult, singing remains one of my favorite creative outlets. Whether I'm harmonizing with friends or practicing arias in my room, I find singing to be almost therapeutic. My breath and body become instruments channeling intricate human experiences. The process of working on technique, expanding my vocal range and repertoire, and getting feedback from my vocal coach helps me continue improving my musical expression. And the ultimate reward is those moments where a song just flows through me, when I lose myself completely within a beautiful melody and become one with the music. I can't imagine my life without this glorious hobby that lets me give voice to my soul.
Going on Walks
Stepping out my front door for a walk into a nearby nature area feels like escaping into a world of endless possibilities and discoveries. A network of bucolic trails extends like veins from my neighborhood into surrounding woodlands, marshlands, and parks. I have spent countless hours wandering those trails, and I never tire of what I might find around the next bend.
What I love most about my nature walks is the sense of mystery and intrigue they offer. A flash of iridescent blue darting between branches could signal a passing kingfisher near the water. Freshly turned soil beside the trail might mean wild boar have been rooting around for tubers under the oaks. Every animal sighting, every new wildflower in bloom gives me a surge of curiosity to identify what I’m seeing and to admire nature’s masterful designs. With so many ecosystems converging in my area, a walk regularly presents new wonders for me to explore and research when I return home, hungry to learn more.
Not all my nature discoveries involve precise identification or intellectual understanding, however. The simple sensory joys of walking these trails uplifts my spirit every time. Lazily trailing my hands across sun-warmed field grasses, inhaling sweet perfumes of early blossoms wafting on the breeze, listening to bird songs and frog choruses perform their seasonal symphonies—these visceral encounters focus all my senses on the aliveness and abundance nature freely offers in such moments. My neighborhood walks nurture and restore my inner ecological balance while connecting me to timeless rhythms and cycles much larger than myself. They are a moving meditation that renews my spirit.
