Feeling the Sunshine, Spring 2020
An EHS Student Special Feature Publication
Getting Outside and Seeing the Bright Side During Difficult Times
Robert Thoelen
Right now, we are all stuck at home with not much to do besides mountains of
schoolwork. While we are all stuck in our houses, it may seem like we are going to be stuck here
for a while, and the constant influence of modern media is telling us more bad news, some of it
which might not be true. There is a bright side to everything, and it may seem difficult to see it.
On a sunny day, get outside and look around you. Nature can speak and inspire many and it has
for millennia. You don’t need to go far, even your backyard has a story to tell. Mine does. There
are multiple tulips that open up every day and I can look outside by back window or even the
window in my workshop to see them. The bright and vibrant colors don’t show the injustice in
the world, they show
peace and brightness. The
trees in my yard show the
life that is still in our world.
Though it may seem like
the world is ending and
humans are savages to
each other, the humble oak
and maple tree with its red
and green leaves show that
life is everywhere. Nature
is a symbol and it always has
been. It has bought people
to different places and was
used for landmarks that point to better life. It is used to inspire people to create and live the way
that they want. For me, I am a woodworker, and I started blacksmithing when the lockdown
began. I have used nature to create, from using wood slabs to forging an iron snake that is shaped
into a hook with a flagpole. Nature is used to relax from the madness of everyday life and stress
involved with online school and looking for colleges. While we are all stuck isolated from
human contact, we should look to nature as we can see that during difficult times, we can get
through it and be happy. We will all be able to see our friends and family again without the use
of video calls eventually, but we should all look at the right side of our current situation and do
thing that make ourselves and others happy so this difficult time is enjoyable and memorable.