I was seeking instrumentals that would soothe the thrum inside of me, so I returned to Yo La Tengo, but largely their album “I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One.” Their songs bring about a warm nostalgia. Though nearly all the leaves have fallen and are preparing for decomposition, their sounds almost swirl the leaves like wind, and I can imagine the very first changed leaf – spotted orange.
I can imagine the person I was when I noticed those changes. I hold them tenderly. I have pressed the memory between wax paper to be preserved. She has returned to the Earth and she will come back to me next year.
Their rendition of “My Little Corner of the World” brought me so much joy and got me thinking about my little corner of the world. It is a warm space that exists within me and is shared with the people I love.
It is a place that is rooted within me. It moves with me and isn’t entirely defined by the physical. It is the spaces where I am most open. In my mind. In my writing. In nature.
My little corner of the world is in the shadow I walk with on a sunny morning or afternoon––an alternate realm of people, trees, and buildings born in negative space. My shadow parallels the trees––our shadows combining to become tall, stretched entities, altering space.
My little corner of the world is revealed through the media I enjoy – my written annotations on the margin of a page.
My little corner of the world is revealed when I am open and surrounded by nature, or on a walk––present to myself and the other living things around me.
There are various realms and versions of myself that could open to you if you yourself are an open and thoughtful person. I remember one day I was walking to the Red Cedar River after class. I don’t remember what song I was listening to, but I remember it filled me with joy. I couldn’t contain my smile and laughed to myself – it was a bright laugh – and at that moment, I made eye contact with someone. My joy seemed to have brought them joy because they smiled – a slightly amused, curious smile.
It is a marvelous thing to witness someone else’s joy, and I like to think that in their smile I saw myself reflected. Faced with a mirror and aware of my perceptibility. That in this open state there was recognition.