I know when neon lights shine, grease covers my fingers, and the county is all together in the Auburn Square, our fall fair is here. Ever since I was young I have loved the fair. The rides, games, animals, and food were so exciting to me. My friend Madison and I would ride on 1000 and 1 notches all night. Year after year I would spend a piggy bank worth of quarters to win one cheap stuffed animal. The mouse and fish game were staples for us. I would always leave the fair feeling a little sick from the food and ride combo, while also having prizes and goldfish in tow. I now have a harder time enjoying some of the activities I used to. When I was younger I was oblivious to the subtle animal abuse that happens at the county fair. It is hard for me because the games that I now do not agree with are also very nostalgic. I have always loved winning goldfish at the fair. I even won two new ones this year, so now I have five. You never know if they’re going to live for a week or 3 years. Animal abuse falls on the people who win them instead of the workers this time. Many people win goldfish without actually wanting them, or having the necessary items to provide for them. I have seen people shake, swing, or even set down bags of fish and not come back. A game very similar to this has the same concept but you can win hermit crabs. Unlike goldfish hermit crabs are a lot harder to take care of. They require a heat source, a 10 gallon tank, fresh and salt water, substrate, humidity, and new shells to grow into. Not every kid or even adult have knowledge of this nor do all fair workers. Once they are won it is likely that the hermit crabs won’t live the best life, because they aren’t provided with essentials they need. The last game is the mouse game. Many people overlook this game as animal abuse because mice are usually seen as a nuisance. No matter how they are perceived mice have feelings just like you and I. It is so wrong to subject this creature into hours upon hours of being in a box, thrown onto a spinning wheel, without receiving the proper care it needs. Who knows how the mouse lives when the fair doesn’t take place, but my guess is not great. It is a very sad life that no one should endure, not even a mouse. I think everyone should care a little more about what these animals need, and not what you want. Make a difference and don’t support these abusive games.

All around our world we are comforted by the presence of trees. Growing while giving breath to others, these selfless plants often go unappreciated. Hopefully during your time on Earth, you learn their true value and beauty, as I have. We all have trees in our lives, real or figurative.

Throughout my years, season after season, trees have watched me grow and learn. The maple tree in my front yard, planted when I was born, added rings around its core as I aged. The maple tree watched me learn how to ride a bike and subsequently fall off and break my arm. It fretted with my parents as I learned to drive. Later on the maple tree watched as I came home injured from crashing into a wooden pole, that was once a tree too. The maple still stood as I ventured off to find new trees. In my neighbor’s yard, I found a treehouse that I played in often, and in the woods behind my house I discovered branches that I transformed into tepees. The tree of my life that I am most rooted in is the buckeye tree that towers over my Grandma’s home. Many memories have been made due to the tree and the buckeyes it provides. My cousins and I would race to the tree and pick up as many buckeyes as possible. We enjoyed it so much that we would bring stools and sticks to try to knock them out of the tree. We sold the “lucky buckeyes” by the sidewalk on days of parades. At this time in my life I did not necessarily see trees as important, but more as a shady sidekick that always peered over me.

Just like humans, trees come in different types, shapes, and heights. They soar in our skies anchored by their strong roots. We all need an anchor in some way. The roots that keep me grounded are my family and friends. When the sun shines, they celebrate the warmth with me, but on my rainy days my roots soak up the flood. Life teaches that you gain some and lose some. Just like leaves changing colors, values are bound to change as seasons pass. The people you surround yourself with could be hurting more than helping; so sometimes you need to let the dead leaves drop. Always remember your roots when you go out on a limb to add new leaves to your tree.

The trees of my life have shaped me to be who I am today. From trees I have learned change from leaves, values form roots, and to keep standing tall during hard times. I am forever thankful for these giving plants, and every memory I have received.

Click on this LINK to always keep your tree of life close by.