Date: October 30, 2019

Temperature: 61 F

Time: 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm

 

Today was a cloudy day. It was misting so this time the air smelt different too. The breeze was crisp, with a bit of a muddy smell to it. When I tuned into a concentrated focus, the sounds were clearer. The sound of distant birds chirping, the sound of leaves rustling as they were hit by a swift breeze, the sound of water flowing, it all made me feel like I was listening to the rhythm of the nature. As I opened my eyes afterward, I could see the color of fall surrounding the entire garden. While observing the surrounding, especially the fall colors, I stopped hearing the sound of leaves or even the birds, that’s something I could only listen to when I was at a concentrated focus.

I looked around for dried leaves and twigs; there were a lot more of them this time. The leaves were mostly brown. Some of the leaves on the trees were still green but there were hardly a few. Towards the southeast side, there was a barren tree and there used to be a lot of European hornets hovering around the tree. The hornets were gone! I could not spot a single one of them. I wondered how the spider webs would look like, so I went near the tree. Sadly, I could see none. Then, I moved closer to the cut-open tree. I saw ants marching inside the tree, and noticed that the population of the ants has increased drastically. Also, there was a tiny green plant growing beside her, last time it wasn’t there.

When my eyes were closed, I could connect with nature more easily. The sounds were clearer and I could clearly imagine the surrounding around me. As I closed my eyes, I felt a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. Every time I close my eyes, I focused on nature and let go of the jumbled thoughts that were crowding my mind. It is liberating to sit there mindful amongst other creatures. The whole experience was therapeutic as the aftermath felt calm and relaxing. It felt good to not think about anything for an hour, even though my brain kept wandering. When I open my eyes after the focusing exercise, I derive pleasure from the silent trees, the falling leaves, russet leaves covering the ground, and the congealed relics of the autumn season. I feel grateful to be surrounded by nature.

I have always spotted this tree in my sit spot. Its trunk is very different from other trees. The bark of the tree is smooth and creamy pinkish-white with exfoliating curly papery sheets. There were a lot of questions on my mind after I observed it closely. Firstly, I was curious about what type of tree it was. Does it only have peeling, paper-like bark during certain seasons? Does this process help them grow faster? At some point, I also thought how would it taste like?

The vegetation surrounding my sit spot are mostly deciduous trees because I could see a lot of leaves on the ground. The population of insects has fallen too; this time I could not spot anything other than the ants. It is getting colder, so the organisms around my sit spot are reacting accordingly.

–Binika Rijal