The First Snow

On December 1, 2010, it snowed for the first time this winter. It was so magical. The snowflakes were huge and softly floated to the ground as students marched to class, watching their step, trying not to slip. I decided to walk home from class and I enjoyed watching everyone experience the first snow fall. The earth seemed like it was glowing, everything was white.
When I was back in my dorm that night, I was watching the snow float by outside my window. I did this consistently for 4 nights in a row...it never stopped snowing. The flakes just kept drifting down and it wasn't until the 3rd night that I had the feeling of being in a snow globe. I stood in the middle of my large window, and was not able to see the ground; so the snow looked like it often does in a globe, floating every which way around you but never settling to the ground. This experience really made me realize how special snow is. It is once again, a piece of nature that is overlooked. I feel bad because, in this day and age snow is looked at as a task, we have to clean it up and get it out of the way. People are always on the move and too busy to take a minute to stop and watch snow fall in their back yards and on the streets of their neighborhood.
I have made many new friends while being at college that grew up in Florida and honestly never encountered anything like a Michigan snowfall until December 1. These friends have also opened my eyes to the magic that snow creates. It is like nothing else to watch someone who sees and feels something for the first time. The snow made them stop and whisper, "woah" as their eyes opened and they tried to figure out how they were getting to class. A single snowflake made them reach for their cameras and send a picture to all of their friends and family back home, and when the snowflake landed on their hand and melted within seconds, their smile drooped and they realized the fragile and unstable life of this new magical wonder.
I am grateful to see a reaction as pure and wonderful as my friends; it makes me think of what I might have done the first time I saw and played in snow. This year will bring a new experience for me, instead of shoveling the continuous downfall of snow I will be walking home and spending time watching it fall. I will love the snow while I can and won't worry about the dangers that it does bring. Even with all these changes in my relationship with a winter wonder land, I will always pray for a snow day, even if class is easy to get to. :) My New Years resolution to anyone that reads, take a minute in the next snowfall and catch a snowflake on your tongue. They are delicious among all else!

My Place In Nature…Nature Is My Place

Coming into Our Place In Nature four months ago, I felt that I was pretty connected with nature. I had an idea of what I liked, where I wanted to spend my time on earth and what I would do with my resources that were available to me. But after reading so many texts that explore all types of nature, different terrain, weather, and different time periods, I’m really coming out unsure where I want to live, what I want to see and explore and how I’m going to use the planet to my advantage. This may sound unnerving, but I see it as a good thing. I think it is better to explore a lot of different places and lifestyles and take ideas from all around. I think this class has shown me through readings and speakers that there is so much more to life than I thought. Even in my own town, there are things like the Farmer’s Market that I will pay more attention to and I think I will explore what each season has to offer as well.

In the end of the book, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”, written by Barbara Kingsolver, she explains the hatching of a baby turkey. “We’d gone the whole circle, raising our mail-order hatchlings into the most senior demographic of American turkeys” (352). Something about this sentence just intrigues me. The only life that I have actually seen daily from a baby to a grown being are my dogs. I feel like I am missing out on an amazing part of life, life itself. This quote has really made me think about what is important to me and what I want to witness one day, birth is now on my list. Having my own turkey coop may be a little far, I could handle a garden, but I would not like to have to slaughter anything, but I think this may lead me to volunteer at some kind of animal rescue or zoo of some kind. I think this could bring me closer to the animals that share nature and their homes with me when I step into a different environment.

Bill Bryson’s book, “A Walk in the Woods” gave me a whole different perspective on nature. I enjoyed reading the book just as much, with the whit and humility that he brings to his writing, I found myself laughing and then soon after imagining myself in his more serious situations that potentially involved truly wild animals. But in the end, this book made me think about the adventures I want to go on when I have the time…and money. Bryson made me think about what I want to experience and honestly see in life, not just in a book, but, with my own eyes. Quotes like, “I sat on a rock and watched the sunset. The pond was almost painfully beautiful. The long rays of the setting sun made the water shimmer golden. Offshore, two loons cruised, as if out for a spin after supper. I watched them for a long time, and thought about something I had seen on a BBC nature program some time before” (262) really hit home with me. I am always watching the nature and animal channels on television and to know that Bryson was once just someone like me, gives me hope that I can achieve any goals that I set for myself. When I am older, I want to say that I have experienced a lot of what nature has to offer, much like Bryson did while on his own personal journey.

Finishing up the book, “Looking for Hickories: The Forgotten Wildness of the Rural Midwest”, written by Tom Springer, I found one of my favorite quotes that will stick with me long after this class is over. It has made my list of needs quiver as I try and figure out what I really need in life, and what I just want. It almost sums up all I want out of life and what I have learned from this class. I am leaving Our Place In Nature as a more well rounded individual from all the different views and experiences that I have been exposed to and this quote is going to help me continue to positively grow and learn what I want from nature. Not only do I hope that I will be able to figure my life out and experience all the world has to offer, but I hope that I will find a way to give back and help nature. It is also important to me to help others experience nature and learn to live in harmony and love it for what it has to offer. This quote profoundly swayed how I think I will live out my life. My favorite quote award for this class goes out to Tom Springer, he put it best when he said, “May the treasures we have at hand-in a world so filled with real need-always be enough” (157). 

This is an ode...

Although there are many people in the world that take our earth for granted, I can not say that I know of anyone who does not like our world. There are just too many natural beauties and adventures that our world gives us to not love it. A combination of the two, beauty and adventure, would be our national parks. It honestly doesn't get more bare than that; that is the world we live on, the natural state, what we were all created from. I think that Americans are blessed to have as many national parks as we do and places of untouched nature, that is preserved and protected. I have a strong feeling that if that land was not protected, it would have been torn down and dammed up by now; much like many other parts of our nation and especially parts of the world that don't have protection laws for the land.
What is sad, is that I have learned of land in parts of the world, like Indonesia, where the land is protected, and even sacred to some tribes, yet logging companies are still tearing it down, using nonsense reasons for their actions. The tribes are supposed to be reimbursed for their trees with amounts around 300 loincloths and are receiving, at most, around 50. It sickens me to think that some people live in these natural areas, and survive off the trees and land, and large companies still find it okay to tear it down and take advantage of the language barrier and not knowing the tribes customs, in order to make more money. If there were not laws and consequences for bad actions in America, I feel the same thing would occur on our lands. It scares me to think that this is what our world has come to; fighting over land in order to tear it down and kill ecosystems so we can make a profit.
On the positive side, In America, we are able to visit our preserved lands and feel our breath taken away, when we realize how small we really are in our enormous world. This is something I have yet to experience, but, I know, just by pictures and movies I have seen, that this is the least of what I would experience. I can't wait to go on a road trip, especially out west, and see all the sites there is to see, even including sunsets with the Rocky Mountains glowing in the distance. My heart speeds up and I get excited just thinking about it!
The freedoms that us, as Americans, enjoy are enormous and cover every single part of our life, but to me, one of the most important freedoms is our freedom to travel. It gives us the whole world for opportunities of places to go and allows us to really follow and pursue our own individual personal likes and loves. We are able to experience anything in the world, learn first hand, customs of another culture or religion and, as I would take my time and do, just appreciate the beauty and landscape of the different or foreign land. I know that national parks were created to preserve the land, but, I also think that if we didn't have the freedoms and the democratic government that we do, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the land for what it is. So, in a way this blog is an ode to our founding fathers for giving us rights and freedoms, and to America's national parks. These are two things that should never be forgotten, and we should thank God everyday for them.

Love Your Family.

I am someone who really enjoys meditating. I do it on a regular basis, at least 3 times a week. I have practiced many types of meditation including, Mindfulness meditation, Lovingkindness meditation, Insight meditation, Chakras meditation and the basic form of meditation, called Tonglen. They all have certain aspects that they focus on, all dealing with yourself, but for instance, in Lovingkindness meditation, one practices opening his or her heart to the pain of all beings and wishing them well. As one slowly breathes in and out, thoughts such as, "May you be free of suffering.", "May you be happy.", "May you love and be loved.", "May you find the healing that you seek.", and "May you find peace." are supposed to be said, allowing your heart to connect. After you complete this part, then you are supposed to move to yourself and be aware that you have felt pain, and ache and suffering and begin the whole meditation all over, but this time repeating everything in terms of yourself. "May I be free of suffering.", "May I be happy.", "May I love and be loved.", "May I find the healing that I seek.", and "May I find peace.". These practices can be so difficult and hard to really grasp, especially when you are first learning. That is why I have come to love, what is called, Walking meditation. 
I really enjoy the walking meditation. I am a conscious walker, I often watch my surroundings, from my mom telling me since I was a little kid, to always be aware of what is around me, but also because I like to see other living things that surround me. I honestly glow with happiness when I look outside and am able to walk back to the dorms and breathe in fresh air. I do it often, walk with my head turning every which way, looking up high at the squirrels in the branches, looking in front of me at the other seemingly unknowing students rushing to class, looking at my feet as they crunch the red and gold leaves that just floated to the ground. I am always seeing new things, a tree I didn't realize was the size of a three story building, a chipmunk that has made it's home beneath the dorm steps. It is almost startling, sometimes, when I realize that I just noticed something like that three story tree for the first time, when it is at least 100 times my size and has resided where it is, since before our university was even created. And all it takes to see the tree, or anything else for that matter, is a pair of wandering eyes, conscious wandering eyes; but once this is recognized, the possibilities of discovery are endless. Once I noticed the freedom I had when looking around me, I took full advantage of it. I now find myself meditating as I walk to and from class. I stay present, in the moment, breathing in rich air, and exhaling from the deepest parts of my lungs. Each morning I am excited about what I will find outside of our dorm doors, anything is possible. The trips to and from class are definitely the best. They give just enough time to get in the moment and see what God blessed our Earth with. Especially after meditation, I feel reborn and have no worries. I feel like I'm looking through a new set of eyes. Everything seems so new and fresh and vibrant, even on a rainy day. I begin to crack a smile as I step into my new world, the ground feels inviting and the sky is my limit. I feel rejuvenated and the earth and nature around me also takes on that feeling. Meditation is my outlet and it lets me appreciate where I live and what I live with. I recently began thinking of nature as part of my family and I am so grateful that I have the conscience and open mind to see it as it is, and see all the beauty and inspiration that it brings to my life. 

There Are Fruits and Veggies...and Then There Are Fruits and Veggies!

The Farmers' Market now has a brand new meaning to me. I have so much respect and admiration for the hardworking families, that take the time and energy to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for others to enjoy. The career of a farmer is so much harder than I ever realized and after our class trip to the Farmers' Market, I now have compassion for them.
A group of three of us moved along the four different stands that were selling on that Tuesday morning, and we were able to converse with a couple of the sellers. I personally took the time to stand back and watch the sellers lay out their food and talk to their buyers with friendly smiles and a positive attitude. I have to say that the atmosphere of the market was one of my favorite aspects to the trip. The Farmers Market felt nothing like a trip to the grocery store; there was fresh air, sun shining down on the food, making the colors pop, and the food itself looked so much more appetizing. The tomatoes were huge, and the sweet potatoes and turnips still had the majority of their dirt stuck to the skin and it still felt better than grabbing a cucumber that had been sprayed with wax at a grocery store.
Not only was I enjoying my time that I was spending at the market, but as I watched the buyers, I found a little girl and her mom and realized that there was learning that was taking place right in front of my eyes. It made me fill up with happiness, because as we have been discussing in class, too many kids can't even tell you where a carrot comes from. The mom of this little girl asked what kind of fruit she wanted for lunch, and the little girl grabbed this huge cauliflower that filled her arms. Her mom looked at her and laughed, took back the head of cauliflower and told the little girl that that was a veggie and pointed out the fruits she could pick from. The little girl probably doesn't even remember this happening, if you asked her today, but I can say that she will probably remember that cauliflower is a vegetable, and with the knowledge that her mom is exposing her to, the girl will be able to make smarter and healthier decisions in her future.

I just could not get over the vivid colors of all the fruits and vegetables. I walked up to a stand and took a  picture of my friends, who made up my group, as they looked at all the appetizing veggies. Then something caught my eye. I looked down, and these mini multi-colored peppers were screaming for attention. Zooming in, I took a picture of these stunning peppers, and I told one of the farmers behind the stand how beautiful I thought they were! She was actually picking leaves off a batch of these peppers, as she told me how she mixed them with red roses last week for Sweetest Day. This honestly blew my mind! I would have never thought to mix such a lively and fiesta-like vegetable, such as a mini pepper, with the flower of romance. At the same time, I could imagine how stunning the bouquet must have been; I wished I could receive such a unique gift as that.

My experience at the Farmers Market was nothing but a blast. I learned so much from the farmers and producers that were selling on that beautiful Tuesday morning. I plan to bring my family to the Farmers Market when they come to visit me, so we can share a fun experience together!

When the First is Forgotten

There are some things in life that I truly feel are taken advantage of. The sheer beauty of nature and what humans have created with their hands, happen to be two of these "things" that just a handful of people still appreciate. On Wednesday October 20, 2010 I took a trip to East Campus with another class that I am enrolled in. This was an eye opening experience, because I knew our university was established in 1903, but, I had never questioned where all of our old original buildings were.
One of the first buildings that I came across on my way to the main campus is a tiny little building that is labeled with a sign that says "The Little Auditorium". It is probably one of the cutest buildings I have seen on campus, and it began my awareness of how WMU has grown to the university we now love. We entered the main East Campus from back, this gave my class and I the chance to look at the infirmary building. The school had a working medical staff and students were able to spend the night in a hospital-like setting right on campus. Our guide also pointed out the women's and men's dorms before we made our way into the main building. She led us through the old hallways, where paint was peeling and old classroom doors were locked; the teachers assistant for my class and I, looked inside all the rooms as we passed, and I could only imagine what classes were held there; the history that the small broken rooms held was almost overwhelming.
We reached our destination when we sat down in the 70's inspired, round back, plastic chairs in the original gymnasium, that, the East Campus now uses as the site for all archives. Our guide began passing around articles and pictures, one of which was an all girls physical education class that was held in the very gym we were in!! Half hour later, we trickled back through the halls and outside to view the front of the main building. It was stunning, with pillars at least 30 feet tall and a grand staircase leading up to the doors; my eyes must have been bugging out of my head! I had so much respect for the men that built our first part of our campus over 100 years ago.
As we got closer to the front entrance, my admiration turned to disgust as I began seeing all the graffiti that students of WMU have done on these pillars and windows of our main building. I looked at a drawing that stood out because of the shocking red color it was drawn in and, realized from the marked date, that, it had been drawn just 2 days previous. The guide then drew our attention in to show us that our first president of the school had actually been placed in the building, and a plaque to the left of the entrance, signified his presence there. That too, had graffiti all over it and my stomach dropped at the thought of destroying another's grave like that. When a few other students and I asked why the building is under such distress, the guide explained that there isn't enough money for upkeep for East Campus, so, the buildings are just withering away until there is nothing left. This made me want to cry; how can a whole university not care for what our university began from? If not for the buildings, I would think that students, professors, alumni and the community would want to preserve East Campus for the beautiful views it has to offer. From those main steps, I was able to look out over the whole area; trees cover the hill that the campus is built on top of, and on this october day, I saw a sight that I can't explain, you would have to experience the scene for yourself...too beautiful for words. As I looked out onto the breathtaking view, I turned around and realized that almost all of my classmates were more interested in reading the graffiti.
Since my trip to East Campus, I have joined the group, Students for East Campus, and I am going to try and play an active roll in the preservation of East Campus. Tell all you know about this sad and upsetting situation and if you ever get the chance, make your way over to the first part of our university, and really experience the beauty of the grand buildings and exquisite views of Kalamazoo.

The Power One Holds

Today we had a guest speaker, Tom Springer, author of the book Looking for Hickories, visit our class, and I must admit that he was by far my favorite guest yet. I felt like I connected with his view of the world and nature. He just seems like he can never get enough, nature just puts him in a daze, and I often feel the same way. For instance, today when I was walking home from class, I looked to the right after I passed Sprau Tower and another building and saw the clock tower in the distance. It was surrounded by large overgrown trees, making a collage of all the autumnal colors with just the brightest clearest blue sky as a backdrop, and I think my jaw dropped. It was absolutely stunning. I cannot say it truly was a painting, but when I saw this sight, it immediately reminded me of one. Everything seemed perfect, and once I looked away, I began to see the gorgeous leaves falling from the trees and landing in front of me as I shuffled my feet under the little yellow leaves that had already seen their prime.
Tom Springer is much better than I am at describing his feelings and actions towards nature, but I do feel that I can relate because I often find delight in the little joys of life, much like him. I was not expecting Springer to be as witty as he was! I sat next to my friends and laughed a whole-hearted laugh when he tried explaining to the guys in our class how simple it would be to make a sauerkraut-like food if they just minced some cabbage and threw it in vinegar and let it sit for a couple days..and how the cabbage has so many uses, such as hats for his kids, like a little cap if you will.
Later in our discussion, one of my classmates mentioned how Springer wrote a little about him and his wife, and he explained how the small details he snuck into the book were all he could do; he felt he had to add a lot of personal information into his writing, and upon hearing that, another classmate of mine raised her hand and told our class about how she feels that it is so important to send a heart-felt note and show people how you care with personal and original writings. At this time, I had a flashback of when I wrote a note to my older sister on a sheet of paper shaped like a CD and put it in her CD player. She found it once she was all settled at school and called me, all emotional, because she loved it so much. I did the same when I left for college, leaving a personal note to my parents and sister to find in my room when they arrived home from moving me in. My mom texted me a day or two later with the sweetest response to my note. I love the feeling of getting my feelings out and showing people how I feel about them; I try exceptionally hard to write letters to friends on their birthdays to show them love and affection and to family when I visit. Leaving a note, in my opinion, is one of the best surprises for someone to find.
All in all, Tom Springer's visit was a great treat! I loved listening to him talk and hearing him speak about everything he knows and has experienced, and would do it again any day. He was inspiring because he realized that his writings were worthy of a book, and I think his courage to write his own memories and create a book from them, can give many others hope for their dreams. At the end of his visit, I was able to ask Springer to sign my book, and he happily did so. I was so grateful. What a great day in Our Place In Nature!