My favorite reflection spot on campus is the gazebo. Now what’s specific about such a place has everything to do with where one sits. Anyone can take a seat on the bench and enjoy some quiet time with themselves but for me, the location is essential. I sit on the right corner of the gazebo, take my shoes off, and let my feet dangle over the water. It’s the most refreshing and relaxing spot on campus for me. The water offers a calming sensation to one’s thoughts and those who occasionally walk by in the background become undetected.
My favorite time to come to the gazebo is on Sunday mornings. The day goes a little bit like this: I wake up around 11 or so and eat a nutritious breakfast at D-Hall with some friends. After breakfast, we split off. They go right, I go left. I head around the lake “the long way” which borders the lake and enjoy the serenity and seemingly early-ness of the day (despite the fact that it’s usually the afternoon by this point). Some days, I head straight to the gazebo. I assume my favorite position and soak in the picture. I see geese pestering small children to my left and the tiny specs of people heading over the commons towards their own first meal of the day. It’s always an entertaining sight. It’s also the beginning of the week; a sense of a “fresh start” comes over me and all that happened prior is put on the back burner. It’s the most indescribable and refreshing feeling that I look forward to each and every week.
I have had many memories on the gazebo in that very spot. Impromptu guitar jams, deep conversations with friends, late-night run-ins with friendly students- you name it. All are positive.
The gazebo also reminds me of home. There’s a beach about a mile from my house called Fortune’s Rocks Beach. It’s the most beautiful beach at low tide, it stretches out about 200 yards from the embankment. During high tide, however, it is nonexistent. It features a drastic change in gradient. I go out there frequently and find the most out-stretched rock I can find and dangle my feet over the edge.
The gazebo offers me a little slice of home and a piece of mind. It’s a place I will always remember.