Lighten Up

The Gambles Mill Corridor has been on my mind a lot lately. This is likely because I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the final project which is oriented around the trail. Or perhaps the added stress of finals is making me long to get out to my reflection spot on the trail to get away from it all for a moment. Looking at everyone else’s posts about the trail has shown the diversity of thought in Earthlodge this year. The overall consensus seems to be that the Gambles Mill Corridor has, in some way, helped all of us to get in touch with and connect with nature, and with ourselves.
Celeste noted that the trail itself was beautiful, but also that the golf course next to the trail detracted from the natural, rugged beauty of the trail. This comment was reiterated by many other lodgers. However, she did pick up on something that I had not previously noted or thought to comment on. The community garden at the beginning of the trail was not much to look at on our first walk in that area. It was just a green rectangle of grass. I noticed how much it stands out and that bothered me when I first saw it but I could not quite figure out why it bothered me. Celeste’s post describes it perfectly. “It seemed almost like that Hollywood Stepford wife who, in efforts to fight the process of aging, freezes her face with plastic surgery. Which, instead of supplementing her natural beauty, is jarring to the eye and unsettling next to the deep smile and worry lines of other women who refrain from altering their natural state. That is the green grass next to the wild beauty of the rest of Gambles Mill.” I think this imagery describes nature in a unique way I haven’t thought of before. It is an interesting concept to relate the outdoors to people but I think it is very fitting and appropriate in this situation. I think that by making this connection, Celeste was getting in touch with the natural beauty of the trail.
Hans came to an epiphany on our first trip to the trial. He “hurried down the trail to see how long it would take to get to the intersection, hoping to watch the cars pass [him] by and maybe grab some Starbucks coffee.” At this point Hans “remembered our assignment was to observe the nature of the trail. I stood there, amazed at how I did not notice the nature around me at all.” He goes on to describe how he used to be very connected to nature (he was an assistant park ranger too!) but somehow lost that in the chaos of school. I can relate to this. In my previous posts about the trail, I describe how I haven’t been as connected to nature as much lately. I think everyone goes though this at some point, but it is also nice to see that you are not the only one. So seeing that Hans is going through the same thing is comforting to me. Additionally, later in his post he describes how wrapped up he has become in school and getting internships.
This is something I tend to do as well. I am a planner and cannot help it. When it comes to academics, this is a good thing. When it comes to stress and quality of life, it is not necessarily a good thing. There are times when I am envious of people who can enjoy the moment. I have had a recent revelation that I am always so focused on my future happiness that I forget about my present happiness. However, many landmark times and events at which I was supposed to finally become content have come and gone. Landmarks and events such as going to high school, getting my drivers license, going to college, and countless others. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I somehow need to start enjoying the present, because this course I have set for myself is not good for my mental health. In short, I need to lighten up. Life is short and focusing too much on the future is a waste of this precious gift. I see many of my fellow earth lodgers as free spirits who are unshackled by the future as I am. I can only hope that by continuing to spend time with them that will rub off on me a bit.
One of these free spirits is Kelly. Where many of us saw a grey corridor, he picked out the flashes of color in the trail. “Red shoes skirt the murky brown puddles, red crested woodpeckers soar up into their homes nestled deep into the woods, red berries lie buried in bushes along the path and red clothed Mark Massaro sets off on through the wilderness in search of adventure. Green sprouts emerge from the gnarled branches; green grass clashes against the brown as life emerges next to the spring.” He searched out the color in the trail and described it in an artistic way. When I was in high school, I liked to consider myself as artistic and creative. I am not quite sure what happened to that side of my personality. Perhaps a few weeks ago I would have said I lost it completely. I would not say that now, but instead say it is perhaps buried, but still there. One of the biggest changes in college life is the lack of ease for me to express my creativity. In high school I could take a lot of art classes, but now that I have an ambitious academic plan for myself, I cannot fit the classes into my schedule. This is another example of how I am too focused on the future. Perhaps I will take a spontaneous trip tomorrow to finally feel free again, hopefully with some of my fellow earthlodgers.