I included this to show the lessons I've learned from spending time here. I hoped that this abstract comparison of trees' undergoing seasonal change and myself undergoing life change could represent that I knew my struggles were valid, but also that I knew things would get to get better and that life would go on. I wanted to express both my resistance to change, but also my realistic understanding of acceptance, and the highs and lows in life that we all go through. I wanted my conclusion to accentuate that my process of reflection, understanding, and acceptance was catalyzed by the Webster Woods.

This reflection was incorporated to show how the Webster Woods might have a larger impact of my experience and perspective of Boston College. The first few sentences are an edited version of an excerpt from my journal before I was even assigned this project. By re-reading my writing, I found an anecdote for the larger purpose of my essay. If I can find appreciation for such a different type of nature, with my appreciation specifically rooted in the difference, I should be able to do this for other types of environments and life experiences too. This was a realization I gained from writing, and I used this anecdote not only as a bigger picture reflection in my writing, but also as an attempt to stimulate a positive change in my mentality.

Before my revisions, I did not touch on other personal experiences in my life which have impacted why I am so drawn to these woods. I love nature, and the outdoors have always been a huge part of my life. More specifically, last year I spent 4 months living in the Amazon. This was a super special and impactful experience of my life, and I wanted to share how this personal experienced has continued to impact my perspectives now. Because of my experience in the Amazon, I take note of the Webster Woods with a keen eye to the noises, the insects, the types of trees, the birds, and the uniquely changing environment. I felt like by sharing a special experience in my life, and it's comparison to the Webster Woods, I emphasized the multifaceted meaning this place represents.

In my first draft, I apprehensive to explain my vulnerabilities which prevented me from emphasizing why this place is meaningful to me. I thought it would sound dumb, so I restricted myself from sharing these feelings and thoughts. As I revised my draft, I recognized that putting myself in a vulnerable position was essential to strengthen my paper.

I moved this paragraph down from its original location in my first draft. During the revision process, I focused on the purpose and effectiveness of each paragraph. This paragraph's purpose is supposed to reflect upon the change I've witnessed within the park, and I felt like I was able to more effectively show the development of my ideas by moving this paragraph. This structural change makes my essay flow better so that the audience can better understand my experience.

In my first draft, I did not include an explanation of what happens when my mind is racing verses when my mind "slows". I tried to explain this process of "slowing" when I enter the Webster Woods in order to contribute to the main purpose of this essay: why this place is meaningful to me.

This podcast and this final writing assignment made me realize that mapping is something I already do in my life. In my original draft, I touched on the fact that I felt more "present" when I did some mapping techniques. In this draft, I realized that mapping gives me a much deeper sense of awareness than just being present in a given moment, which is what I had stated in my original draft.

These are the few sentences that I kept from my previous draft, but I revised them to make them more realistic and honest. When I re-read my original draft, I noticed a ridiculous amount of insignificant details that didn't contribute to the main purpose of my response. Realizing the lack of purpose, I took them out.

I changed the summary of the podcast in order to make it more concise and clear. In my previous draft, I didn't explain what act 2 was about, so I felt the need to give a quick recap in this draft.

I'm not sure if other people do this too, but this is a significant ritual that impacts the way I think about the space around me. This is such a token routine of mine, that I didn't even think twice about how it relates to the podcast when I originally did the assignment. Similar to above, I included this to make my piece more interesting and creative. I wanted it to reflect my thought process around this subject rather than be a boring and bullshit formal response.

This piece of writing originated as a short response to the This American Life "On Mapping". It was a discussion post on canvas, and as I re-read my post, I was bored and unconvinced by the second sentence. I wanted to make this piece more personal, and I felt that it was crucial to share some background of my experience with "mapping". These details are vital to express how the podcast affected my relationship with the spaces around me and my way of thinking about maps.

During my process of choosing what to write, I had a significant "Eureka" moment when I realized the podcast had affected my experience with the spaces around me while I was on a run. It had been months since I listened to the podcast, but I began to notice so many random personal connections to "On Mapping" which I hadn't realized before. As I wrote out my current thoughts on the topic, I began to tie together even more connections to the topic, things that I was only able to recognize once I started writing.

I think this paragraph is very crucial to exposing the reality of how performative black lists can be. It shows how quickly the "trends" can encourage such books/movies like The Help and The Green Book which directly promote ideas of white saviorism, an example of how black lists can fail us.