Today for field trip, we went to Popham beach and talked about the ecosystems of dunes and beaches. But before we did anything, Peter Sniffen told us all to get down on our stomachs and to watch the ripples in the sand form. We all got down and watched the wind blow the sand across the beach. It was fascinating, and it’s not that I didn’t expect it to be fascinating, but I don’t think I realized how wonderful it would actually be. I thought about just the sand. I thought about every single grain of sand moving separately across the earth, but that made my head hurt, so I zoomed out and started thinking about people and life. Are we all just like little tiny grains of sand? I pictured the grains of sand being across the beach by the wind, but to quote Peter Sniffen, “The sand is constantly marching across the beach in the direction of the wind.” So which is true? Are we being blown or are we marching? I took an ethics course last year and we discussed determinism vs. free will. I ended up deciding that both exist. I believe that the general scheme of my life has been planned out for me, but I have free will within those boundaries. I was born loving what I love and with my talents. I was destined to love music, but I was able to choose between the drums and the piano. I love to write, but I choose whether I will write poems, songs, novels, or just journal entries. I like to think I am a grain of sand that has been blown to a particular beach and now marches diligently across it.
-Kristen Softley
New York City, NY
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