For this post, I wanted to switch it up a bit. Instead of going out to my sit spot on a more serene, quiet, Saturday or Sunday evening, I visited my sit spot on a busier Wednesday morning. I knew that this would force me to really tune in and focus on things a little more closely since campus was much livelier.
Oddly enough, during my 15 minutes of focus, my eyes were guided to the stream. Like last time, in was almost covered in fallen leaves, and other natural debris. It was just extremely interesting to look at to me. The constant flow of the river just really seemed to help my thoughts flow more fluid (haha) from one thought to the next. I started to wonder how many cycles of autumns and winters this stream had seen, and just how many times the trees have stripped themselves into the water. Neat how nature just kind of sorts itself out like that.
As for my objects, which were the stream’s water level, a (now deceased) purple flower, and a fallen tree branch in a shallow hole. As for the creek, I’d say that while it does look “full” the water level looks like it hadn’t changed much despite, the leaves playing a trick on you and making it look shallower. The branch was now well hidden below shrubbery and leaves, making it more difficult than I’d like to locate it. I thought it was interesting to slowly watch it become concealed.
This time around, auditory tune in was much easier. Since I’m a very curious person, I just enjoy seeing an object before I see it instead of hearing it before I eyes can decode where it’s coming from. During the first five minutes, I mostly heard cars zooming by behind me and the busy highway that was to the left of me. I didn’t hear any birdcalls or squirrels which felt kind of weird. During the next five minutes I realized why I didn’t hear anything that didn’t startle me first. I wasn’t paying attention. I did hear squirrels but that was only because I kind of scanned for sounds to pay attention to. It made me realize how much I prioritized my sight vs other senses like my hearing, which makes me wonder if I should be concerned considering I’m a musician. Yikes.
In this paragraph I’m going to describe an object that I should probably be able to describe better considering the profundity that I see and interact with it daily. First thought: “wow, I probably look insane standing with my forehead pressed against this tree.” Second thought: “Hey this is actually pretty neat.” After you start to stare at anything for an extended period, it begins to look strange. Not in a bad way, but in a way that doesn’t really want to make you want to look away. The uniformness in the bark began to fizzle out, and the raised ridges in its surface gave way to microscopic holes that were probably home to invertebrates when it wasn’t so chilly out. This tree was clearly still alive, but it’s bare branches just told me it was dormant.
After everything was said and done and I was gathering my things, I climbed to the top of the small hill and sort of soaked everything in. It’s hard to get a gist of the big picture if you’re just sitting in it and realized that I wouldn’t have that much time in my sit spot before the end of the term. I’m looking forward to seeing what other changes unravel.