Feature Friday - Alaya Ayala
What is your full name and where are you from?
Alaya Alexis Ayala from Greeley, Colorado
In your own creative definition or description, please share who you are :::
At this moment in my life I have no idea who I currently am or who I am becoming. However, I know who I have been, and hope that after all the searching I will see pieces of myself again. For now I will string some adjectives together that I have used to describe myself in the past: creator, survivor, worrier, investigator, collector, teacher, emotional wreck, friend, and human.
Please describe a meaningful experience in nature from your childhood :::
I lived on my grandparent’s farm for a majority of my childhood, and each morning carried the same rhythm no matter what was in store for the day. I remember waking up to the sun coming into the living room of grandparent’s house on a summer morning, and thinking that someone had put a disco ball in the room just for me. The sun would move across the faces of my family as they got ready for the day. Once everyone made it out of their bed and breakfast was over, I was finally free to go outside. I would run to open the rusted, truck door just to slam it shut and watch the dust settle and glow in the sunlight. Every part of me was completely invested in watching the dust find a new spot to call home. Then the engine would start, my head would hang out the window to watch the rows of crops rush past us, and my grandpa would let out one last morning sigh. Everything was right and it was our job to tend to the land.
What role, significance or theme does the natural world hold for your life today?
Nature is one of the only places that I can ever truly find healing, so I often use the natural world as a way to escape or a way to process my experiences and emotions. These days you can usually find me sitting on top of a rock crying/laughing about something that’s going on in my life, or having a full conversation with the sky, or just sitting there in silence as the sun sets. No matter the reason for going out into nature I am always left with the same message: hold what you can.
Follow Alaya on Instagram @alayaayala
