In our daily lives, we don’t always notice or acknowledge the pleasant and positive things around us. And there is a reason for it. Nothing makes one more uncomfortable than being alone, which includes of course walking solo. Constantly pressed with the need never to be alone, sometimes it takes away one’s ability to truly appreciate one’s surroundings. And so I resolved to go off on a solo adventure allowing me to feel comfortable just taking time for myself and nature, albeit for a little while.
I started my walk at the edge of the canyons by the parking lots, making a gradual loop. It was early Saturday afternoon, a time when the sun was slowly melting away the biting chill of the lingering morning air. Already, my body was adapting to the gradual temperature change, and a light sheen of perspiration began to form on my shoulders halfway through. This “teamwork” and exchange of reactions between nature and my own body left me to ponder the magnificent design of life. Around me was no one but the occasional gardener, passing by with a whoosh and a dirt-covered glove waving quickly.
While many sights captivated me during my stroll, I must say that the most bewitching aspects to enrapture me were the sounds. Nothing beats seeing all things in real life, but I was amazed at the range of sounds that I could pick up. Listening is the only sense that genuinely pushes one to utilize both senses, logic, and imagination. From listening I could “see” the busy crawls of little lizards in the underbrush, their little tails crackling the dry leaves beneath them. I could “see” a trio of little woodpeckers working hastily in the palms above, and the gentle buzz of dragonflies flittering to and fro, here and there. This sense of awareness of sound let me transcend the boundaries of sight and in a way appreciate a bigger picture even if I couldn’t see.
Finishing my lap around the grounds, I was brought back to the “real” world by the jolting sound of raucous laughter deeper in the campus. Instantly the lull of my mind from the walk subsided, and a tide of thoughts came rushing back. Thoughts of homework, laundry left sitting, and essays due are much heavier on the mind than the sights and sounds of nature. However, the differences in their feeling was enough to remind me that monotony in everyday walking is not a mandatory experience of daily life. Right outside the bustling of hectic student life was a natural world where animals and plants cared not for human pursuits of education and peace. There, one could rest their mind and in a way refresh their souls in the glory of nature acting utterly unbound by society.
It is to be appreciated of course and not taken for granted, but sometimes the push and pull of activities hinder our recognition and gratitude for nature. To escape that ignorance, one must actively seek nature out and knowingly abandon the “real” world for a while. Abandoning important tasks actively is difficult, but from this experience, it can be called necessary.