For my final and last post I stayed on St. Edwards campus. I chose to spend an hour on the bench underneath the beautiful Sorin Oak tree. I chose to stay on campus because I am officially a Senior next year, and I thought it would be nice to sit and reflect on my experience so far while being outside.
It is 88 degrees and sunny.Today is thursday of finals week, and the campus is already much quieter. In the whole hour I sat on the bench only 3 people walked by. Sorin Oak is a beautiful old oak tree that must be hundreds of years old. In the past three years I have attended St. Edwards, I have never spent time outside realizing and soaking in the natural beauty of our campus. Before today, this campus meant running between the coffee shop and the class room, then returning home as soon as possible. As I sat underneath Sorin Oak I realize that I should spend time outside on campus more often. The tree has a very calming effect. Birds are chirping as they rest on the branches. There is a slight breeze rustling the leaves.
I am astounded by the quiet atmosphere of the campus. It is usually so bustling with students rushing to and from class. Even though the campus is almost empty of people, the critters and crawlers are alive and active. I noticed as the sun went down, more birds flew to sit and ‘chat’ on Sorin Oak. Studying nature here made me wonder what it looked like before St. Edwards was established. I wondered how many animals had to find a new home because we invaded their home on the hill. The birds activity has caused me to realize that before St. Edwards was established, this hill was probably buzzing with wildlife. As Rachel Carson says,
“In nature nothing exists alone.”
Although this is my final blog post, I plan to continue spending at least one hour a month observing nature. From these blog posts I have developed a new appreciation for nature and feel that the time I have spent this semester in nature has been tremendously nourishing.
