I had heard of the Kalamazoo Nature Center, but I had never been there before. I was picturing in my head the small nature centers in my hometown, and was blown away by the vastness. Although we only had a short time to walk around, it was a wonderful experience. At first when we got there I found myself in field trip mode. Follow the path, listen to the tour guide, and try not to fall over anything. I almost forgot to look around. I can't say I'm really attracted to the the tall grasses, I am definitely more of a woods kind of a girl. The intense mass of a tree has always awed me, and especially during this time of year, the leaves are truly breathtaking. All the colors in nature are more amazing than any artist could paint, and any picture could capture. A tree makes me think of life, oxygen, protection. I wish I could articulate what seeing masses of trees or even a single tree is like for me. Everyone sees things differently and defines beauty in their own way.
I would definitely like to go back there and see more of it. I really liked the idea of going there to journal. I don't necessarily think I would want to write about nature while I was there, but being in nature makes you feel grounded. I find that I can only really write about my thoughts or feelings when I'm in a safe place. Also, I have a hard time writing my ideas on the computer. For these assignments, I normally have to write them down on paper and then type them into the blog system. Writing is a personal experience for me, and I don't do it as often as I probably should. I guess I feel like I need to be in a certain mood to write, or in a certain place. One place I really like to write is on a little stone bench in my backyard, and I'd really like to find a place here where I feel that way too.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Disney does nature.
I've been watching a lot of Disney movies lately, and the message about respecting nature has always been very prominent. Most recently I've watched Pocahontas, The Lion King, and Fern Gully. They all address a deep connection with nature, the web of life, and the power of all living things. These are children's movies full of these concepts, reiterating the idea that they are simple. Sometimes I wonder if they are so simple that it makes people oblivious to them. For me, it's hard to remind myself of things that are happening in the environment because I feel so separated from them. I didn't grow up with environmental issues because there wasn't a lot of environment around me. We have a couple of nature preserves, two or three small wooded areas and a prairie are all I am aware of in my hometown.
Before the credits of Fern Gully, the screen reads, "For our children and our children's children." This class has really opened my eyes to the importance of preserving nature. If we don't preserve what nature is left, our children will never see it. I also took a class called Geology of National Parks through WMU. I had never realized how many national parks there actually were, and definitely never realized how beautiful they were. I would love to take a week or two next summer to tour some of them and just walk, camp, and be a part of nature. The most camping I've ever done has been in my backyard or friends' backyards in our neighborhood, so now that I'm older, I want to take advantage of the things I never knew were there.
Before the credits of Fern Gully, the screen reads, "For our children and our children's children." This class has really opened my eyes to the importance of preserving nature. If we don't preserve what nature is left, our children will never see it. I also took a class called Geology of National Parks through WMU. I had never realized how many national parks there actually were, and definitely never realized how beautiful they were. I would love to take a week or two next summer to tour some of them and just walk, camp, and be a part of nature. The most camping I've ever done has been in my backyard or friends' backyards in our neighborhood, so now that I'm older, I want to take advantage of the things I never knew were there.
Backyards, parks, and fish.
The other day, my boyfriend and I piled in a car and drove out to Mattawan to visit his aunt. Every time I visit one of his relatives it always amazes me how much land they have. Lulu, our enthusiastic 9-week-old beagle was in heaven running until she tuckered her little heart out. Having Lulu is such a great reminder of play in nature. I love running around with her or laying with her under a tree while I read or do homework. Her curiosity of nature is definitely contagious. We continued our nature-filled afternoon at one of my boyfriend's favorite childhood spots, the fish hatchery. I suppose this is more of a man-made piece of nature, but either way watching the fish is amazing. There's a fish food dispenser mounted on a wooden bridge that leads you to the middle of the pond. You put in a quarter and drop in a little food, and about 40 fish come flying from every direction to attack it.
The only school of fish I've ever seen were of tiny little minnows that would nibble on my toes at my favorite lake in Paw Paw. I had never seen that many fish in one place, nor had I ever seen a fish that big. Any time I had ever been fishing I only caught small-mouthed bass. I love living in Michigan because there are so many unique experiences that I never had growing up, and they're all a very short distance from here. When I was young I was always outside, playing in my backyard or at the neighborhood park around the corner, but the comparison to places here is unreal. Most of my friends' backyard's are about 5-100 acres, and I don't even know a place where there is that much open land where I come from. Also, a lot of people I've met since I've been in college raise animals. Learning more and more about the environment makes me think about how I eventually would like to live my life.
The only school of fish I've ever seen were of tiny little minnows that would nibble on my toes at my favorite lake in Paw Paw. I had never seen that many fish in one place, nor had I ever seen a fish that big. Any time I had ever been fishing I only caught small-mouthed bass. I love living in Michigan because there are so many unique experiences that I never had growing up, and they're all a very short distance from here. When I was young I was always outside, playing in my backyard or at the neighborhood park around the corner, but the comparison to places here is unreal. Most of my friends' backyard's are about 5-100 acres, and I don't even know a place where there is that much open land where I come from. Also, a lot of people I've met since I've been in college raise animals. Learning more and more about the environment makes me think about how I eventually would like to live my life.
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