10/10 Jarvis Lawn

             Today’s class took place on the manicured lawns in front of Jarvis. I adored the opportunity to enjoy the crisp fall breeze. As I walked from the Sandage parking lot I was able to take moments to actually take a deep breath and look at what was around me. Being a senior I already feel myself becoming nostalgic about my time at TCU. I know I am going to miss the ever changing flowers in the immaculate flower beds and the yellow brick that is everywhere I gaze. The trees and plants that are planted on campus culminate the beauty that is TCU. I am especially thankful for the home the trees provide for a friendly neighborhood squirrels that have entertained me on more than one occasion.

                During today’s class I took a more introspective approach. I found that cultivating words seemed to be of little value. I found more value in today’s discussion to play a role as a true active listener. I find that many times I am too eager to formulate my own opinions and interjections that I miss the perspectives my classmates share. I found this experience to be quite rewarding. Although at many points I found it hard to bite my tongue when there was a lull in conversation, I found value in taking in my surroundings and appreciating those still quiet moments that led up to the next speaker.

                From this week’s readings I enjoyed the “Judgement of the Birds.” It made a point that creation itself is miraculous. Just the fact that anything exists is a wonder in itself. Carbon is the unity of all life. It is one of the many similarities that can be gleamed among creation. We are a part of such a beautiful entanglement. We are a part of nature and nature is a part of us. I am going to be more aware of what I am passing by. I want to engage in the happenings of the world right beside me. The worlds I may overlook, such as the flower growing at the base of the tree I was beside or the restless squirrels that follow one another up the branches. Life is so precious. 

10/03 Rec Center

             Today’s class took us to unique location, being that the forecast told of impending rain showers. We did not journey from our horned frog home. We found refuge outside the recreation center under a decorative umbrella covering. We circle around a dirt mound that looked to have once held a large tree. Speckled throughout the dry ground was items of foliage that most would call weeds. This scenery I believe to be perfect for our discussions on John Muir of civilization’s role in conservation.

                In Nature Writing John Muir describes going out and climbing a tree during the storm. When the average individual would seek shelter from the power of the elements he rushed out to meet them. This captivated me. I wondered if I truly have ever marveled at the omnipresence of the wind during a storm as he has. My favorite description of the wind was Muir’s depiction of it as a musical ensemble. He stated “nature was holding high festival, and every fiber of the most rigid giants thrilled with excitement” (p. 254). The glorious phenomenon of a storm brings blessings and life to the occupants of the forest.

                As a class we also read John Muir’s writing in Wilderness and the American Mind. In his writing in Chapter 8 he describes the importance of wilderness preservation and how there should be no attempt to compromise with forestry. This electric ideal made me take a moment to assess my own surroundings. How would Muir feel about the even decorative tree being uprooted from the ground we encircled? Yet happenings such as this occur without a slight thought towards the existence of the plants.

 I was enchanted by his notion that “in God’s wildness lies the hope of the world- the great fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.” I believe that nature screams the existence of a loving all powerful God. This type of reverence that springs forth in me when I gaze over the edge of a mountaintop just cannot occur even when taking in the site of the most treasured human architecture. I am thankful for those who have come before me and have preserved the raw and untainted wilderness that God crafted. It has allowed me today to marvel in the wonder that is my creator.