Honestly, it is very hard for me to simply reflect at my reflection spot today.\u00a0 With midterms, projects, spring break plans, and study abroad stress, it\u2019s difficult to clear my mind at all really. \u00a0Last time I was here in the gazebo, I was thinking about the seasons and how they can change the look of the lake from where I was sitting, and also how there were different seasons in my own life and how I had changed.\u00a0 The lake was half frozen, it was cold outside, and there was still snow on the ground.\u00a0 Now the lake isn\u2019t frozen, but it\u2019s still chilly and cloudy, and it\u2019s supposed to snow tomorrow apparently.\u00a0 I\u2019m kind of unimpressed with my surroundings.\u00a0 It\u2019s March now, but it feels as though no time has passed with the weather so similar to what it was in January.\u00a0 Where is the spring?\u00a0 Where is the green grass, the warmer weather, the liveliness in the air?\u00a0 I can\u2019t seem to drag myself away from the current chaos in my mind, so that is also putting a damper on my reflecting process.<\/p>\n
I think my problem lies in my expectations.\u00a0 I want it to be spring.\u00a0 I want to be past the stress of exams.\u00a0 I want to know exactly how things will work out with study abroad.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to slow down and appreciate the present.\u00a0 While I want to be studying right now and my mind is telling me to think about other things, I need to just appreciate the lake and the beauty of the nature around me.\u00a0 The water and the clouds move at their own pace and the trees aren\u2019t in a rush to grow.\u00a0 Being in touch with nature allows me to shift the focus from my stress to seeing the beauty and simplicity of life.\u00a0 When we went to the heron rookery with Ralph White, I saw that those birds also weren\u2019t trying to rush things.\u00a0 The females come back and meet with their mate and they build their nest and have babies.\u00a0 The males probably weren\u2019t worrying about whether the females would come back and weren\u2019t in a rush to make their nest faster and better than their neighbors\u2019.\u00a0 Our problems seem kind of silly when I can see how well this worry-free system works for the herons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Honestly, it is very hard for me to simply reflect at my reflection spot today.\u00a0 With midterms, projects, spring break plans, and study abroad stress, it\u2019s difficult to clear my mind at all really. \u00a0Last time I was here in … Continue reading