I decided to embark on this nature walk journey with fellow classmate and friend Michael Crowley. Deciding on where to do this walk, we both agreed to try and complete this in the woods behind my falling apart house. After walking back, I quickly realize just how ugly it was back there. Not because of the decaying nature and all the dead plants, but because of the clutter caused from the man made material that was littered back there effected the enviroment. I could not focus on just immersing myself with the moment because of a broken mattress that was just clouding my mind. The broken and decaying mattress.It laid there for probably years, melting itself in the fence and melting it’s disturbing image in my mind. Ultimalty deciding to move onto the Geneseo arboretum. What is more fascinating is how strongly the perfectly built brown bench was plopped in the arboretum. It stuck out like a sore thumb. It’s wooden structure and vibrent color was not pleasent to look at in the nature. I would not typically think twice about a bench, but after seeing the mattress it made me realize just how the bench soon will end up like the mattress and rot eventually. It will ruin the natural beauty of the world one day and have to be disposed of. This little fight between material being left in nature has not gone without a fight from mother nature.
As I walked further into the arboretum with Michael, we come across this slanted branch that covered part of the path. The slanted branch inconveniently in my way.It forced us to stop, but for the first time in my journey it made my mind stop and indulge in appreciation of what is around me. Giving me the choice to turn back around or follow through under the branch in essence made me feel grateful on how I ended up here at this very moment. One branch slanted because some wind or maybe it grew in the wrong direction, has made me stop on my muddy journey through. Not put there purposefully by anyone. The branch had its own journey. There is something truly magical about that. Just like how it felt magical looking at a lonely tree right after.The tree stood tall and alone, almost like it was social distancing from the rest of the leaves and trees. Still recovering from winter with no leaves on it, its naked and unmanipulated structure gives off a yearning sense of lonliness, but also peace. It was allowed to grow and be by itself. Which reminds me of the traditional college experiance. It can feel lonley, but also a time of peaceful bliss before entering the real world. It is a time to grow on your own, which for some people is the first time that oppertunity presents itself.
