February 7, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. was a beautiful, sunny, 65-degree day. Every time I visit the Barton Creek Greenbelt, I find something new to discover, whether it is a plant, trail, tree, or section of water. During this visit, I focused most on the water and also found a new hiking trail.
At its shallow parts, the water was so clear that I could barely tell it was there. Light tan-colored pebbles showed clearly under the crisp water. Underwater isn’t such a scary place when you can see exactly what’s underneath. I’ve always thought that it’s not about what you see, but how you see it, and how the things that you see affect the rest of your daily actions. Appreciating the art of nature is important because it we don’t have to use natural resources in order to receive its stress relieving benefits. This is an idea that Aldo Leopold also mentions in a Sand County Almanac,
“The outstanding characteristic of perception is that it entails no consumption and no dilution of any resource” (290).
Going along with the topic of stress relievers, I definitely notice that I am more relaxed when I open myself up to the nature around me and appreciate what I am observing. However, I believe that it is up to oneself to judge whether they are going to benefit or not from the affects of nature. You have to be open to the idea and realize that being in the outdoors is a valuable gift that may not be appreciated as much as it used to be, especially with the recent boom in technology. Although I know and agree that it is difficult to set aside time to explore the outdoors, it is crucial to sustaining a healthy life.
So after closely observing the clear water, I walked up toward a new trail that when I was in the midst of it, I felt like I was in the middle of a small forest. Trees surrounded me from all angles, and I would occasionally see the sun peering in from gaps in the tree branches. Blue berries coated the ground at the entrance of the trail, many of which had already been stepped on or damaged by rocks.
Walking further along the trail, I came across a vine-looking plant that dispersed leaves in clusters, similar to what a bunch of grapes looks like. The leaves’ bright green color stood out against the brown vines and gray rock that was underneath. There was also some green moss hidden behind the plant, but it wasn’t as visible.
Another thing that I noticed were the dry, leafless trees that stood waiting for a speck of spring to bring livelihood into their branches. Although not all the trees were this way, many of them were. The beginning of February was quite warm, however it definitely felt like winter the past week with temperatures dropping below 30 degrees. The trees are accustomed to this cold weather, but I am not, so I wait desperately for spring to arrive so I can explore the outdoors and enjoy my time doing so.