2 March 2015
I awoke to a brisk, cloudy morning; it was 11am and I had decided to go for a run outside before lunch. I made my way down Eastside and into a neighborhood known as Travis Heights. The houses I passed by were stately yet inviting, characterized by eccentric color schemes and a fusion of both contemporary and traditional architecture. Parallel to the homes was a playground where a small brook (part of the Blunn Creek Greenbelt) flowed through. Stopping for a break, I kicked off my shoes and waded in the water: biting cold, but refreshing. I took in my sights. Draped across the water was a bent live oak tree with both a plethora of tracks left in the wood by carpenter ants as well as various carvings of initials and dates. The water itself was very shallow and clear. Limestone slabs and shards of granite, quartz, and feldspar lined the banks of the small river. Flat, spongy moss also covered the damper parts of the limestone; sprouting rhizomes were speckled across the carpet of green. Balls of Spanish moss hung from the tree and littered the ground. I felt one hundred percent at ease with myself and with my surroundings. My heart, eyes, and spirit were as clear as the water and air; any stress in my life seemed nonexistent. I sat on the fallen tree, enveloped by live oaks and moss; breathing in, breathing out.
23 March 2015
My favorite season had arrived: spring. For me, springtime in Texas will always be one of the most beautiful sites to behold. Bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, black-eyed Susans, snapdragons, and buttercups dominated the otherwise bleak highways. Behind Teresa Hall, an extremely vivid field of bluebonnets resided on a hill overlooking the neighborhood below. The Austin skyline stood in the distance, majestic as ever. I tiptoed in the bald spots, wary not to crush the unbelievable indigo blooms that surrounded me. Every time a breeze blew through, an intoxicating scent filled my lungs. Again, I felt as stress-free as ever. Sitting in a field of bluebonnets, watching the sun set in the horizon; these were the moments people write poems and songs about. I lay down, content. Every breath I took was filled with gratuity and appreciation. As dusk settled, I waited for the stars to come out. The night sky was a deep, classic shade of dark navy. Stars dusted the sky, like leftover specks of flour on a kitchen counter. Gazing into the abyss and engulfed in beauty, I let go of everything I considered a stressor in my life. I let go of my fears and I let go of my safety nets. I let go of everything that was holding me back and I decided to face my challenges with a reinvented sense of vigor: “We all strive for safety, prosperity, comfort, long life, and dullness. The deer strives with his supple legs, the cowman with trap and poison, the statesman with pen, the most of us with machines, votes, and dollars, but it all comes to the same thing: peace in our time.” (Leopold, 11)
