Our Earth is a beautiful place, and beautiful things should be appreciated. I have recently become very passionate about my natural environment and the world around me. I say recently because I had always taken it for granted before a little while ago. Every once in a while, I would marvel at a beautiful Florida sunset at the beach, but now I'm astounded by birds chirping, even if it is at four o'clock in the morning.

What really sparked my recent excitement for nature was a family trip to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. After visiting these amazing places, I realized how much beauty was and always has been around me. Yes, fellow Floridians that's a bit far from home, but you definitely don't have to go that far to come to a similar realization.

Living in Florida, we have the advantage of being surrounded by ocean, always overwhelmed by the beauty, able to head to a nearby beach when the sun rises or sets and watching the moonrise, it's reflection glimmering over the dancing waves. The sun is always out and about, giving us the opportunity to be outside all the time, even if it means sweating through our clothes.

Being outside every once in a while is good for us, taking a break for some fresh air feels vitalizing, and replenishing. We are always so busy running from place to place, never looking up to take a breath, living in the future, never the present.

Connecting with our environment is healthy and loving it is even healthier. Doing something outside at least one day a week is refreshing, whether it be gardening in your backyard, doing yoga at the beach or simply watching the sunrise. We've become so modern, instead of taking a nighttime stroll, we sit in bed and scroll. Let's break this new normalcy and get in touch with our natural world, we can tweet about it later.