The Nolan Trail Reflection- Outside experience 1
Our visit to the Nolan Trail was how I wish every class would be. Experiencing and living what you are studying makes the content ten times more meaningful. It is easy to feel foggy and blurred in the classroom, but having us actually experience 'nature' away from theorizing and allowing our own discoveries to happen holds much more weight. I am thankful to have been in a course that encourages this.
I love learning the names of plants. I had a professor in New Zealand who taught us ecology. He began his opening lecture with, "I hope after this, you can look out into the wilderness and not see just a forest, but friends." That phrase has stuck with me. It's important to learn the names of the species in the forest so that maybe we feel less lost, and more welcomed into the arms of nature.
During my time sitting on a ledge overlooking the water on the Nolan Trail, I took great notice to the effect the sunset had on the tree leaves. A forest is supposed to be prominently green, but as the sun was setting, gold was the first color I saw. Then green, as the wind tussled and folded the leaves over and over gently. Teal, grey and silver danced on the water. Tan and brown make up my peripheral.
I tried to take notes on what I saw or felt. The only thing I could come up with a drawing similar to Te Fiti or a the persona of Bella Gaia. Sitting there brought a very intense sense of motherhood and protection, but also an unforeseen sense of power and control. Beautiful, yet terrifying. Admirable for grace and the potential for destruction.
I left that spot much later than the designated time for class ending. The sun setting behind the trees was my motivator for leaving my spot on the ledge. I walked back the Lions Gate and sat down on the water's edge to watch the sun disappear under the waves. It became chilly so I decided to bike back.
I felt refreshed from my time spent outside. It reminded me how important it is to get outside to give your brain a break as it were, from the routine of our daily lives. I can see how being in nature would evoke a divine experience.
I love learning the names of plants. I had a professor in New Zealand who taught us ecology. He began his opening lecture with, "I hope after this, you can look out into the wilderness and not see just a forest, but friends." That phrase has stuck with me. It's important to learn the names of the species in the forest so that maybe we feel less lost, and more welcomed into the arms of nature.
During my time sitting on a ledge overlooking the water on the Nolan Trail, I took great notice to the effect the sunset had on the tree leaves. A forest is supposed to be prominently green, but as the sun was setting, gold was the first color I saw. Then green, as the wind tussled and folded the leaves over and over gently. Teal, grey and silver danced on the water. Tan and brown make up my peripheral.
I tried to take notes on what I saw or felt. The only thing I could come up with a drawing similar to Te Fiti or a the persona of Bella Gaia. Sitting there brought a very intense sense of motherhood and protection, but also an unforeseen sense of power and control. Beautiful, yet terrifying. Admirable for grace and the potential for destruction.
I left that spot much later than the designated time for class ending. The sun setting behind the trees was my motivator for leaving my spot on the ledge. I walked back the Lions Gate and sat down on the water's edge to watch the sun disappear under the waves. It became chilly so I decided to bike back.
I felt refreshed from my time spent outside. It reminded me how important it is to get outside to give your brain a break as it were, from the routine of our daily lives. I can see how being in nature would evoke a divine experience.
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