Before being introduced to wicked problems, I didn’t even know wicked problems were a thing. Of course I knew that we have been suffering from climate change and that if we as human beings continued to do the things we still do, then our world might just be taken away from us, and very soon too. My whole life, I have always been aware that there are many ways I could provide help to our planet, things like recycling waste and picking up trash off the streets, not wasting food, not using too much water, etc. but I never really cared enough to get into it. This is really because I was that person who was like, “Oh, it doesn’t apply to me, like I don’t make that much trash, it’s other people. I am not the problem.” And while a lot of the time it is other people who are the problem, it is also me who is constantly affecting the environment. Everything that I do has a consequence. I did not know how many wicked problems there actually were in this world. It is extremely scary thinking about how much longer we could have on this planet. I have always had this mindset that the world would just last forever, that I would be able to live life, grow old, have kids and my kids would have kids, and I thought it was just a cycle of people, the way that things were and have always been. I had never thought about the Earth getting old itself, and us as humans using its resources so much that they have the potential of running out, never being able to be replenished. We walk all over it (literally), take plenty from it and then some, and we do not even think about giving something back. Our earth is suffocating and the only people who can help the earth breathe are us humans. After being in our wicked problems class and starting to learn about meditation, I realized that it was something that had been missing from my life. I would always be so stressed about so many things like school, family, friends, and just life in general. I tend to be an overthinker, and with all of these things constantly on my mind, I just could not think of anything else. I had never meditated before coming into wicked problems. When we did it in class for the first time, I really enjoyed all the relaxation, comfort, and calmness that it brought to me, my mind,  and my body. I couldn’t believe it, I had never felt so refreshed in my life. Learning about meditation has actually helped me with some of my daily goals for myself, and it helps me get a good start to my day. Now, I wake up, I lay in bed for a little bit, and then I start my meditation. I recently downloaded the Calm app to help me really get into it, so I know I am doing it right. Meditation isn’t the only improvement I’ve made to my life since being in this course, I have also started recycling. My roommate and I have a recycling bin in our dorm room. It’s a cute little gold trash can that I got from a garage sale a few years ago, and decided to repurpose for recycling. It just happens to be the perfect size, and it goes great with all of our other room décor. We always go through what is recyclable before we dispose of our other trash, just in case something gets missed. With guests in the room and a busy college life, it takes just a little extra effort to make sure that everything goes where it needs to go. But, I have realized how important that little bit of effort is, and I’ve decided to make a commitment to it. We are really just trying to help our planet more, even if it’s just a little bit. We also use reusable bags, like when we go to our closest convenience store, Twenty-Something, (which is literally almost everyday), we always bring with us these little tote bags that we really like to the store. Having bags that we like and want to bring with us really helps, because it’s a little extra motivation. It’s a dangerous game when we go in there because we never really know if our groceries will fit in our tote bags, because we always end up buying a little more than we anticipated every time we go. But, we haven’t had any problems so far. My roommate and I also use reusable dishware so we aren’t throwing away more plastic. When we go out to eat, we bring our reusable sporks, which is a mixture of a fork and spoon. The fork is on one side, and the spoon is on the other. They’re easy to wash and carry, and they prevent so much plastic dishware from being used every time we go out. The last thing I do is on my way to my classes, I try to pick up all the trash that I see. If I notice some type of bottle or a chip bag on the ground, I go to pick it up, so someone else doesn’t have to. It’s hard thinking about the fact that people are so disrespectful to our environment. If they had just put a little effort in, I wouldn’t have to go around picking up trash every day. However, all these little things I do help me feel better about myself and our future on the Earth. Doing these daily things has helped me a lot physically and mentally. I wake up to a great morning, and great mornings make the rest of my day filled. I am doing what I can to improve life for not only myself, but everyone else too. And I hope that this course has done the same for many others.