Just yesterday I was standing on a hill in Forest Park feeling the cool wind coming up from the Puget Sound. Sometimes it brings the barking sounds of seals. The beauty of any park is its inclusiveness, it does not discriminate. Here anyone can pick berries from the bushes. The park is a community institution that is open to all equally, and with a strong blending of nature and people it is community at its best. People go there to find genuine renewal and a sense of healing. It is a beautiful environment for friends and family to bond over a game of tennis. The pastoral setting of a park is designed to enrich the human soul. Walking on the trails of Forest Park I have personally grown from its solitude and restfulness.
City management needs to understand the importance of natural environments. Is overcrowding to be a new normal? The city can always find space for new apartment buildings but not for trees?
The problems of cities need to be controlled and limited as well as possible. They should not be continuously getting worse over the decades. As a whole community we should be able to focus and work on our health and well-being. When I am out in the park the restfulness of nature brings with it wisdom and compassion. In the bustle of city life we should never stop listening to that sound of seals coming from a distant sea. Let’s support our parks.
Bradley Cole
Everett
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