1. There are several excellent quotations in this first section that I found especially interesting, but the one that most impacts me comes from a passage on page 10, which states that “Plants know how to make food and medicine from light and water, and then they give it away.” This saying really speaks to me because it reflects my desired personality. Specifically, when I’m in my 60s, I want to be one of those wise grandparents who have so much wisdom that they just give advice to those who need it most without expecting anything in return.
  2. When I think of reciprocity in my culture, the first thing that comes to mind is the sense of community I have with people in San Felipe, Nayarit, Mexico, where my mom was born and raised. For the vast majority of the year, there is a tradition where every Sunday the entire town gets together to support the local baseball teams by bringing a variety of foods and games for the kids to play in order to ensure that everyone in town and those attending the games had a good time. In addition, after the games, people set up little pop-up shops to provide free food to those who attended the games. And I think that’s fantastic, which is why I want to create a strong feeling of community in whatever location I choose to call home.
  3. It took me a while to fully understand the significance of this quote as well as what it meant to me personally, but I believe that sometimes starting something the way others do isn’t always the best course of action and that on occasion a different path is more suitable. For example, when this quote discusses how planting sweet grass by seed isn’t always the best choice, I consider how most people choose to attend college as a logical next step, but as the quote states, sometimes planting roots directly into the ground creates better results. Very similar to how some people just seem to have an eye for things outside of school, in which case entering the workforce or launching a business is the ideal course of action for them to take. When I read this quote, that is what comes to mind.
  4.  During the first three weeks of this semester, I decided to focus most of my attention on strengthening my bonds with friends from my first year of college. This is because, in high school, the majority of my friends were more situational than true friends. Therefore, I am spending most of my time focusing on developing strong bonds with those around me and on my studies in order to raise my GPA. However, I am happy to focus on these things in addition to finding a career and improving my grades.