Being Outside for an Hour a Day

On Monday, I made a promise to myself that I would try to get outside for at least an hour a day and appreciate the nature around me. I thought I would be consistent and write down my observations throughout the week.

            Monday had rainy weather so I sat out on the porch of my apartment, which overlooks a courtyard with trees. I’m not much of a fan of rain, but it felt peaceful to sit out and watch the water run down the tree leaves and splash onto the pavement. It was also the start of the week that felt more like fall weather and that we wouldn’t have so much humidity anymore.

            Tuesday was more of the same weather like the day before, unfortunately. However, I did sit outside when there was a period where the rain ceased and it was interesting to see the aftermath of the rain. Some parts of the apartment courtyard had flooded, but the plants looked well cared for due to maintenance and it raining occasionally here.

            Wednesday was a drier day with us going to the nature center and the day’s events at the center I discussed in a previous post. The ground was muddy in places while we cleared out mesquite, but overall it was manageable without needing mud boots. In the bison area, I was surprised at how much grew in that area, despite it being overgrazed. I also realized I had not come across poison ivy in my adventures at the nature center; although I don’t plan on being affected by it or mess with poison ivy, my impression of it was that it grew more in woodsy areas. Even though it was a cooler day in terms of Texas weather with it being in the 70s, by the end of our time there I was burning up.

            On Thursday and Friday I was not outside in the same sense of being out at the nature center working in nature itself, but I was outside nonetheless. Thursday didn’t bring about as rainy of a day like the beginning of the week, which was good because I was planning on going to the TCU game on that day too. With the mess of commuter parking and shuttles to campus, when I had to go to campus I stayed on for a bit and sat at one of the benches. Here, I took the time to take in my surroundings and although I knew campus was such a beautiful place, I’m often rushing back and forth and don’t necessarily take the time to look at the trees or flowers that are planted and maintained. With this perspective, I felt calmed after having such a busy and stressful week and I appreciated being able to take some time out of my day to appreciate the world around me. Thursday turned out to be the more optimal time for this, as Friday brought back rainy weather.

            Overall, I feel as though I should have started this goal during a sunny week, but this week made me realize that I need to step back from all distractions and stressors at some point in the day and appreciate what is going on around me, which I realize is what Thoreau suggests we do if I were to reflect back on his writings.