Nature Journal ​​

When I am stuck inside of a classroom all day...taking the time to get in touch with nature is essential for me to be productive in my actives later in the day. Luckily, not far from campus, you can take a 20 min walk or a 5 min drive to get to the Trinity River.

It was a beautiful day out and the sun was shining. Though the air was warm, a slight breeze would occasionally come along, making my run more enjoyable (Texas heat can make it unbearable to run let alone function outside). But not today, today was the prefect temperature. Eventually, I sat down to look at the scenery around me; I felt grateful. It is comforting knowing that not far away from campus, I can have my own private oasis. Aside from the occasional dog walker, it was just me and the water. I sat down to observe the foliage surrounding the edges of the water. All the leaves were a vibrant green. The trees' branches reached far, their branches touching down into the water. The grass, embedded throughout and in between the trees' roots, was stringy and overgrown. There were weeds--grass with small white flowers growing at the top.

If you listened carefully, you could hear the birds and the crickets chirping; it was subtle. I realized, then, when I had to truly try and focus on the noise, that it was because of all the moving cars that were not too far away, crossing the industrial bridge. Then, all at once, I was drawn back into reality. This was immensely frustrating. Even when I am in "nature" I am still reminded of the human footprint and all of the effects it has. I began to think further about how much of my life does not involve nature, even though this is something I value. Most of my days are spent inside of a classroom, and walking to class is the only interaction with nature I get. Even the trail that I was running on was man made concrete! Could I really say I am out in nature I wondered? For the rest of my run, I couldn't pay attention to any of the nature that was present (the birds, the bugs, the foliage) all I could think about were the moving cars and the cement I was stepping on.

Feeling discouraged, I went home and complained to my Mom over the phone about how disappointing my run was. She very astutely reminded me that this kind of reconigiton is why I chose to take a nature's course; the more you learn, she said, the more you can be aware of what you are surrounded by and make conscious decision to preserve it.