Passing By - Experience outdoors

This past week our class ventured out to the Noland trail, getting a chance to learn experientially from a nature setting. Our professor took us on a short walk pointing out different ways to experience and interact with the land. Once he had taken us around he gave us a chance to try it for ourselves. This is what I wrote:

It's easy to just pass by. It's just easier to walk by something and pay it no attention. Nature is complicated and filled with stories. We just often don't give it a chance to speak. Walking today opened me to a even more complicated way of viewing the Noland. It carries with it history, storms, countless relationship talks and after work runs. If trees could talk I would definitely be listening to the wisdom these ones have to say.

As I reflect on my experience on the Noland. I come to see that this isn't just true in nature but in all things. We so often don't give people attention or school work. The cop out is always to just pass by. I wonder what a well aware life would be like. What would it be like to see all things and their infinite complications. I wonder if it would be overwhelming and the ability to be oblivious to the complexity is actually a good thing. That then begs the question, well then how do we decide what we should pay attention to and what we shouldn't?

I think that if we game all things attention it deserved we would be very overwhelmed. I think that we should practice awareness more often in order to give us perspective. If we taken moments out of our day we will at least continue to be more aware of things around us. Especially in nature where things are at their core true and real we can learn so much from each and everything out there. I think my goal is to continue to run and experience the Noland but to bring more appreciation to my run each time I run it.

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