In this fast-paced world, it can be easy to lose track of all that is unfolding around us. Specifically, when we spend most of the day stuck inside working or completing tasks behind a computer screen, we forget about the amazing beauties of the natural world.

It wasn't until I was immersed in biology classes at the collegiate level that I truly became fascinated with nature. When thinking about how the cycles of nature operate, it is quite overwhelming. Plants, animals, insects, elements, weather... everything is so intricately detailed.

These details are all interconnected and work themselves out in a harmonious cycle that is nature. When you stop to think about that, it is a phenomenal thought. Reading about all of the ecosystems in various areas, the diversity of nature is incredible. Actually stepping out into the world and witnessing all of the energy within ecosystems in various areas is jar-dropping.

We get the opportunity to share this capacious world with so many other living organisms who are simultaneously producing energy. Isn't that so cool?

While mindfully appreciating the outside world, biology has also brought my attention to the importance of all that is natural within our individual bodies. Oftentimes, we take our physical bodies for granted. it isn't until something bad happens, such as getting hurt or becoming sick when we decide to give even the slightest thought to the condition of our bodies.

The human body is just as amazing, if not even more than, the sights we experience in nature. We are a part of nature, too.

Taking a moment to reflect on all of the pieces that work as a system to keep the mind and body functioning as a whole is humbling. Understanding that the different types of organs, tissues, and cells that work on their own have cycles to comply with shows that there is so much going on within us. Understanding the process of consuming food and how those particles are broken down and used to nourish the body shows that there is so much going on within us. Understanding how hormones fluctuate and how rising and falling emotions impact the way the mind and body feel shows that there is so much going on within us. Understanding that the gut microbiome is home to trillions of living bacteria within our bodies shows that there is so much going on within us.

Prior to taking entry-level biology courses, genetics, and evolution in college, I used to merely notice that nature was present. Now, I am totally in awe that the unexplainable features, harmoniously working cycles of nature are constantly present around and within each and every one of us.