“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding Danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” -Helen Keller

September 16th, 2019

4:47PM-5:52PM

I began to look for a sit spot on September 5th and I finally found it today! I waited to find the spot that I truly resonated with before I committed to a place that I would have to frequent for the rest of the semester. My sit-spot was warm today; I felt hidden and secure. It was as if the trees were gently draping its leaves around me, asking for me to stay forever. And when the sunlight hit the emerald leaves that surrounded me, the deal was done. I had fallen in love with how peaceful and immersive the environment was. Bugs zoomed and birds squawked and tweeted about. I couldn’t help think of scenes from Bug’s Life as I saw a beetle fly past in a hurry.

Before I laid out my mat, I was careful not to sit on any visible critters or creatures living their little lives. The worst thing to do when coming to observe nature is to accidentally destroy it. Once I was sure everything was out of the way, my eyes were immediately drawn to the sycamore tree to my right (S). It had low hanging branches to the small ripping river directly in front of me (SE). There was a small hill on the other side of the river and just beyond that, on the top of the hill, was a weeping willow on my left (E). The grass was made of clover and this weird sprouting grass which I don’t know the name of. However, I attempted to draw this grass in a notebook sketch. Leaves of all colors littered the ground and even ones with holes in them.

While I was sitting at my little piece of heaven, I found myself in a very still state. I had just-stopped. I let my eyes take over and for awhile I was just watching the river flow and ripple from the bugs that bounced on top. It felt nice to just relax while listening to the leaves gently sway in the wind. Eventually, my gaze caught sight of a group of birds chasing each other around on the branches of the sycamore. The three of them were in a line facing my direction. For a second, I thought to myself maybe they had come over to see if I was a threat or not, which makes complete logical sense. But as the minutes progressed and they twisted and tilted their head more and more, I grew self conscious. I was now thinking and kind of laughing about the idea of them studying me instead. I know most people think that birds aren’t very intelligent, but those birds were really up to something. Perhaps they were conducting research for their blogs as well.

Alas the wind blew and the birds were off to their shenanigans once more. I dropped my gaze to the clover- covered forest floor in front of me. There was a teeny  tiny brick red spider. It had built a horizontal web about an inch and half off the ground. Nestled between three or four clovers, it had a pretty cozy life set up. There was a mosquito stuck in the web, which I was personally very happy about, and an unfortunate nat. Dinner was served for the next two days I would assume. Observing the minute size of this spider’s life made me appreciate simple areas such as the grass and how much life it may actually contain. As Horton from Horton Hears A Who always says, “A life is a life, no matter how small.”

As dinner approached and my sit-spot time became limited, I began to think about how this experience made me feel overall. Getting up to leave was actually saddening. I felt like the tree that shaded me and kept me from overheating was a long lost friend that I finally got to reconnect with. A friend that I knew most of my childhood; a friend that I thought could be replaced by my phone and laptop. Even though food was calling, I wanted to stay and listen to the birds just 10 minutes, 15 minutes, even 30 minutes longer! I felt rejuvenated and overall very happy about existing. This was a form of therapy that I knew I needed for a long time now. I’m glad I finally received the medicine that I was yearning for.

The three objects that I will be following this semester will be the sycamore tree, weeping willow, and a spider web that I spotted hanging right beside the sycamore. The sycamore tree has vines and moss growing around the base of the trunk. Its leaves are still bright and green with some specks of orange and yellow in certain spaces. Normally, weeping willow trees have long rope-like branches with elongated leaves hanging down majestically. Unfortunately, this weeping willow does not but I want to track it to see if in the spring it will grow any new leaves. The spider web would be interesting to watch as well becuase I’ve never witnessed a spider web in a virtually untouched area  before. Hopefully, I can predict what will happen, but surprises are always fun too!

Sincerely, Tia Smith