As I drive through my city I notice all the changing scenery. Areas once lush and rich with wildlife, now littered with constructions sign and traffic cones. Vibrant ponds reduced to retention puddles.

The animals that inhabit these spaces seem unbothered; they act as if nothing has changed, still fishing, swimming, and playing in the same spots they used to.

I let out a long sigh, as I’m realizing that these are not the same PLAYGROUNDS I grew up in.