I have many favorite settings. They include but are not limited to Thanksgiving, Christmas, the court, the field, the mountains, the piano bench, or just relaxing around the house with my family. To me, the thing that makes a setting is the sights, the smells, the sounds, the activities, the mood, and most importantly I think, the people.

One of my most favorite places of all time is the mountains. There is almost nothing as grand as the tall, dense pines, the cascading waterfalls, the quiet streams, or the abundant wildlife. You can’t smell turkey manure or skunk or pollution, only the fresh, crisp air, the burning pine and sap, the campfire, and the random dead rotting mouse that somehow got into the corner of your trailer, but that’s okay. ? There is no noisy commotion only birds’ songs, rustling leaves, bubbling rivers, crackling campfires, and the occasional animal call. The serenity and peace of the mountains brings into focus the real beauty of life. And it is all completed by the most important people in my life, my family. The mountains are where we make some of our most cherished memories and some of our funniest moments. It is the ultimate escape.

My absolute favorite time of the year is Christmas. It really is the most wonderful time of the year, and for many reasons. For one, it’s basketball season, and what can get better than that, but at that time of year everyone seems happier and more willing to serve. The attitude of Buddy the Elf is prominent, “I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite.” All the lights are up and the snow has fallen and people are eagerly waiting what Christmas day will bring. Not just for them, but for their friends and family as well. Presents are bought and wrapped, and children gather around the tree to hear the Christmas story or to put that last ornament on. There’s nothing better than friends and family gathering around, and having that feeling of that love and warmth in your home that is so common around the Christmas season. “The best gift around the Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”

It’s hard to think of too many bad situations, but the worst for me would probably be being without my family and friends and not knowing where they are. As I mentioned before, I think that for the most part it really doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you’re encircled by people you love. So being alone all the time and having no support would be hard for me.

Another tough setting for me would be having no purpose in life. I’m not sure what I would do if I didn’t have goals or dreams or an idea of where I want to be heading. Again, it is people who have influenced me in the direction I want to take in life and without that, I would be hopeless.

My favorite settings have a common theme; beautiful sights, worry free moods, and wonderful people. My worst settings also have a common theme where I am alone, confused, worried, and unsure. I can’t really draw any similarities between the two and hope that they never have any resemblances. Throughout my life I want to surround myself by the settings I love but when confronted by the settings I don’t like, I will learn from and make the best out of them to move forward in life.