Nature Response #1

In this day in time, it can be a difficult thing, to separate yourself from the machine that is society and allow your mind to relax into the natural beauty around. On our class trek through the Noland Trail, we examined the fauna  at our toes and journeyed deeper into the green, away from the sounds of passing cars and constant hubbub. I began to note the path that we took as a class. The path we chose put us in the way of others using the trail, causing interactions that would not have otherwise  happen, had we been elsewhere. People come to run, to think, to regain their energy before returning to their busy day. Its interesting to sit and watch as people go about their planned activities in on the trail. Some chose to sit at the benches and take in the views, some chose to photograph the changing colors of a turning season. I want to sit and silence and breathe. I want to smell the decaying leaves and dirt kicked up by the runners. I want to feel the crunch of the leaves under my fingers and caress the soft plumes of cotton fly-aways by the edge of the river. When the world is too much to comprehend. I return here. To the place where we are the visitors and the flora and fauna are the hosts.