The Outdoors Anonymous

My left foot takes a daring step, leading my body into the foreign environment, darkness enveloping me as an air of forbidden exhilaration rushes through my veins. The creatures of the night chirp vigorously and the dew-filled grass wraps itself around my bare toes. Brisk midnight air fills my lungs deeply, and at glancing up, I admire a few lone stars unveiling themselves to anyone crazy enough to venture into the wilderness at this time.

The great outdoors—probably the last place one would expect to find an aspiring programmer, but after six hours of battle (and an eventual defeat) against my supposed specialty—the computer—this is where I come time and time again to rejuvenate both my mind, as well as my spirit. Now yes, although some (a few more than I am proud to admit) of these late-night excursions result from my own persistence and focus burning out my brainpower, the outdoors, for me, serves as so much more than simply a site of mental recovery: it is a sanctuary, a place where I am free to delve into the vast sea of thought that constantly immerses my mind, unconstrained by the boundaries of man-made obstructions.

So I take another step, beginning my journey.

In this state of mental liberation, I often times let my...