As I settled in my sit spot, two thoughts ran through my head. One was “wow, I can’t’ believe this is actually the last one.” And the other, “Wow it’s chilly.” Prior to going out, google told me that it was about 51 degrees outside, but it felt much colder thanks to the wind. During my guided focus I could help but to notice just how much a difference the wind seems to make. Last time, everything felt much more still and static, this time everything felt much more alive. Like always, my mind was almost immediately drawn to trees, considering how I could see the sky peeking through it’s branches now, compare to the beginning of the semester when they were completely covered.

Speaking of changes, my followed objects didn’t seem to get the memo. My purple flower seemed to have withered with every visit. What started off as a hopeful small sprout soon became a mere stem and soon after…ground. The fallen tree branch situated in a hole has concealed itself underneath a layer and of leaves and by the looks of it, the water level has not changed much since the last time I was here. To be fair, I probably should not have chosen such static objects (and complain about them) but like everything, I think that it serves a purpose. The truth of the matter is that not everything about nature is going to be super interesting.

Since mother nature and I are hilariously incompatible, it was only fitting that the day I was supposed to go out and stare at the sky, it was devoid of clouds. This means that the pressure in the atmosphere was very high, and that air was sinking instead of rising and cooling. I guess it does make sense since it was dry out. As I sat under this system, feeling dissatisfied, something strange happened. The wind picked up from the west, the birds began to chirp louder, and even the squirrels seemed to have a kick in their step. Then, a lyric from my favorite song popped into my brain.

“So, move me baby! Shake the bough of a willow tree! You do it naturally! Move!” It was like mother nature said “Here, now stop complaining.” And I must admit, my inner dialogue was a standstill. With my eyes closed, I was at the center of all this hustle and bustle, noises of which I’ve heard a thousand times, but my brain somehow received all these noises differently this time. Was I finally learning how to be present? Did Hozier just catalyze a natural phenomenon? (I wouldn’t be surprised if he had that power, honestly.) Am I, truly…listening? Think about it, if active listening is easy, you’re probably doing it wrong.

In conclusion, I believe that this whole sit spot has given me an awesome opportunity to really observe a small section of a ecosystem that we as a campus all belong to. Had I not been doing this all semester, I honestly would not spend as much time outside as I have been, since it has prompted me to be more observant of other places on campus due to some of the other blog posts that I read.