Everyone needs a sanctuary. Somewhere they can go when they feel scared or unprepared or nervous. Sometimes it's not just to feel safe, but to find comfort in something you wouldn't normally look to for it. Not always do you think about this as being what a sanctuary is, but it can be anything you want it to be. Sanctuaries can be an envision of a human imagination gone wild.

There I sat, barely noticing I was breathing. The room was quiet, besides the deep voice of the teacher as he lectured his inmates as if he was the warden. The day seemed to drag on, as we - the students - sat and listened to each preacher that had something to say responding with a casual nod or "hmmm."

I paused and scribbled something in my notebook, then returned to watching the teacher talk plainly about the same exact thing he told us the day before. I looked around the room slowly and saw everyone else just as bored as I was.

Suddenly the bell rang, and everyone jumped up out of their seats, sent a mere wave towards the teacher and then ran towards the lunch room.

Lunch was quick, optimistic, preparing for another boring class or two. Math and social studies went by quick though, so I had not to much of a reason to complain, and before I knew it, the day was over. I packed up my belongings and jumped on to the bus. There he was, the best of the best, my friend. (Also known as my bus buddy.) We sat together on the bus almost everyday, unless one of us had an appointment or activity to attend
to.

We shared out laughs and hugged goodbye, as he walked off at his stop. I sat back in my seat and sighed. I pulled out my other bus buddy, my ipod and listened to music all the way home, which was about an hour or so maybe more. When I finally go home,I pulled off my warm jacket, considering it was mid-winter, and threw on my snow gear. When I was fully dressed and ready for the snow I ran out the door and through the thick layers of a fluffy, white blanket, spread out across the earth. Tiny white crystals fell from the sky, and I looked up in laughter as they hit my face.

I ran even faster now, hugging myself as the breeze picked up. I looked in front of me and saw my tree, my destination. Not just any old tree, but my Normal Tree, the tree that had no feelings or thoughts, it just was.

I smiled and climbed into the warmth and shelter it provided. This was my home, my tree, my sanctuary.