Afternoon fellow City tech students! The past week has been a rough week for us all with the worries of Hurricanes, and earthquakes, the basis being natural disasters. Mother nature is a powerful force and we often underestimate. Though she is fierce, she is also beautiful and we often take that side of her for granted. Lately in the news all we’ve seen are the negatives of nature, but today, we focus on all that is good about nature. When I’m stressed or anxious I normally find myself turning to the green side, nature. There’s a place in Howard Beach Known as “The Lookout” or “ El Mirador “ In Spanish. The Lookout offers two different sceneries, on one side you see JFK airport, it’s truly a beautiful sight, and the other is the city, from afar you can see the buildings. My favorite part about The Lookout is the sound of the waters, just something about the waves softly touching land and becoming smaller is so relaxing, it brings me into a tranquil state of mind.

The Lookout, Howard Beach Photographer: Gennessy Palma

In an article I read from Huffington post, they believe that naturalistic sounds such as waves, crashing waves bring a sense of peace within us. Huffington Post states that In our everyday lives, we’re constantly bombarded with sensory stimuli, whether from our devices, busy homes and offices, or hectic city streets. Our brains need downtime, but they rarely get enough of it.

Being around water gives our brains and our senses a rest from overstimulation.

“The sound around us, from an auditory perspective, is simplified. It’s not quiet, but the sound of water is far more simple than the sound of voices or the sound of music or the sound of a city,” Nichols tells the Huffington Post. “And the visual input is simplified. When you stand at the edge of water and look out on the horizon, it’s visually simplified relative to the room you’re sitting in right now, or a city you’re walking through, where you’re taking in millions of pieces of information every second.”When we’re near, on, in or under water, we get a cognitive break because there’s simply less information coming in. Our brains don’t shut down — they keep working, but in a different way, according to Nichols. “When you have that simplified, quieter ‘blue’ space, your brain is better at a different set of processes,” he says.“When you experience that feeling of awe, you get that ‘one with the universe’ feeling,” says Nichols. “You feel connected to yourself, the world around you, and whoever you happen to be with. That puts you in a ‘we’ state of mind.”It’s no coincidence, then, that many of life’s most romantic moments take place by the water — engagements, weddings and honeymoons overwhelmingly occur in waterside locations.“We hold important ceremonies by water. Both in life and in death, we gather by water when we can,” says Nichols. “

Beachside view, The Lookout; Photographer: Gennessy Palma

See? Nature doesn’t look so bad anymore does it??? Nature can offer you so many benefits, in both mind and physical health, it has for me. I find myself coming here with my significant other to take a breather from classes, and it also helps me improve my photography skills. 

Model: Lokendra Singh; Photographer: Gennessy Palma

Water, wind, sunrise, sunset, some of the many things that we see or here everyday but we may often take it for granted or pay no mind to it, sometimes we forget to just enjoy the simple things in life, when in reality, those are the most beautiful things we are given, and at no cost. Mother nature may be brutal sometimes, but can we blame her? If we can do our part and help, then she wouldn’t be causing such disasters, ladies and gentlemen I urge you to do the right thing, recycle, and use reusable bottles, that way we can protect mother nature and the environment, so we may continue to live to see another sunset.

“Beauty is everywhere, and within everyone.”
– Genny

– Gennessy Palma