Spring Fever is a real condition. Flowers are blooming and buzzing with bees. The sky has opened, spilling sunshine into my room. Birds singing from early morning into the night. Bugs still in hiding and temperatures hovering at 'just right' degrees celcius; not freezing but not hot...never hot. Conditions like these give me desires to wander. My heart beats a little faster and brain works a little slower. I don't want to think about essays and projects and reflections, I just want to go out and live. Be with nature and explore; stumble upon one thing while looking for another; get lost in the secret trails Carmarthen hides from common access. I can feel myself getting stressed. There is too much sit-down-and-complete in the upcoming months and not nearly enough go-out-and-venture. I don't want to research for another essay, I don't want to write reflections, I don't want to plan my future, I don't want to study things that don't spur my interest. And I'm not sure if I'm having true realizations or if this is another side effect of Spring Fever. With spring comes onsets of new beginnings and growth. Not just of trees and flowers but of spirits and souls. Ystrad Woods is a walking trail I'd heard about from a friend. I looked it up on google maps, grabbed my flat mate and headed out the door. After realizing google maps didn't know what it was talking about we ditched faulty directions and let our feet carry us onward. We passed factories, warehouses and construction sites before finally spotting a trail. And we were off. On another path, up a hill, around the mud and along the barbed fence. I noticed a different green than the woods I'm used to; a brighter, more vibrant green. My senses indulging in all they had at hand. I was filling up with the air, the space, the wood and mud, the sounds and slips and sites. Surrounded by the beauty of creation I had not yet savored. When the hail started, everything was a blur. Head down, quick steps as if we could dodge the pellets. I missed the scenery in those few minutes, moving too quickly, eyes focused on the ground. Clouds passed over as we reached the top, a lookout with a makeshift bench, giant tree for name carving and pretty songbirds. Sitting on that makeshift bench tilting my head up towards the sky and feeling the sunlight heat my skin. But then we went back to campus. Over all too soon. Back to reality. Which can't be escaped for long. BUT can be shaped just right, so that it contains not only the unpleasant but all of the joyous things you love. Then you might not want to escape it as much.