Journal #2

Meaningful Place

My family and I pull down a gravel driveway, as the car shakes we are all eager to get out and stretch our legs. After a long 4-hour car ride we have arrived, the door shoots opened and my little sister races to the trunk to get her oversized suitcase and go inside. But it is not just her who is excited, it’s obvious we all move with a little pep in our step because we cannot wait to get settled in, get our bathing suits on and head down to the lake. My family’s lake house in Maryland, is my happy place. Everyone seems to have that one place in mind, where they go there and feel safe, that place for me is Deep Creek Lake. I love this place for more reasons than I can express in this short blog, but first and foremost, I love how happy it makes everyone. At Deep Creek I find myself surrounded by friends or family who all seem to just forget about any stress or worry in their life and come to have a good time. 

I love starting the day off by waking up bright and early at 7 am. I walk down to the boat in a soft sweatshirt and hear the slight breeze shake the leaves of the surrounding trees. I get onto the boat and see the smog slowly rise above the water. The silky water has an innocent look to it in the morning, where it looks calm and natural where no boats have yet touched it, no one has continued to pollute it with fuel, it’s comforting. I get to hear the fierce yet calming rev of the boat’s engine. Following I see my mom jump into the chilled morning water. Then I watch as my family and I participate in many different water sports and enjoy the day forgetting about any worries we have. 

This lake house has been around my entire life, before it was my families it was my grandparents. I cannot remember a summer without a visit here. Deep Creek has helped me realize that life is short, and you have to live in the present. Moments at my lake house make it all worth it, there have been times where I was stressed out about school or family and took a trip to Deep Creek and realized in the grand scheme of things, I need to live in the moment and not stress out too much. In my short fun weekends I have at deep creek, I create memories that last a lifetime. This place has allowed me to realize life isn’t always an easy slope. You face hard challenges all the time, but I have to keep in mind that I should continue to look at the big picture. In the times where I am stressed out I have to remember my family and friends. The people that make the memories at Deep Creek so great, these people are always there for me. Deep Creek has made me who I am today because it helped me realize how important family and friends are, and now when I get stressed I try to look at the big picture and live more in the moment. 

Writing Exercise

Where we come from is extremely important and plays a large role in developing our character. Growing up around your family, you learn many different traits and begin to develop opinions, usually similar to your parents but sometimes different, both are good. Everything we experience helps shape who we are as an individual. Our financial situation, the size of our family, the relationships between our family members and friends, the environment surrounding you. Everything adds to your complex character. Personally, I come from a supportive large Italian family. This teaches me so many valuable things. Starting with communicating and not being afraid to jump out of your comfort zone to start a conversation with someone new and different. In my family we usually host a Thanksgiving of 50 people, each year there is someone new, we all are inviting and love to welcome them in and say hello and start a conversation. My family and I are very opened with each other which helps when anything stressful or concerning jumps into life. My immediate family looks out for me, as I do for them. I can talk to my siblings about anything and to me that is really important and has helped me become more empathetic.