site sits

When I initially sat down at my spot, I knew I would need my gloves. Because of the freezing temperature, I curled up on the side of the tree that would block me from the chilling wind, instead of taking in the view. I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to look at or experience, but, as is probably most natural for me as a geologist, I was barely within arm’s reach of the ground before I was already reaching for a rock.

Let's be honest, as much as I wanted to enjoy the labyrinth this evening, I did not.  Okay, I lied. It was an okay walk. All I could focus on was not freezing to death and not slipping on ice. There were some frozen patches of ice on the path to the center of the labyrinth, so it was not exactly the easiest thing to walk on, especially with my 3-inch boots on. Besides that, everything else remained the same. The ground felt the same, the cold was still there, and the tree behind the labyrinth was also there as well. I found myself rushing to the center of the labyrinth, completely ignoring the purpose it served. At least the air smelled nice under my cold breath for a brief second. I guess the chilly wind was not all that bad.

Let's be honest, as much as I wanted to enjoy the labyrinth this evening, I did not.  Okay, I lied. It was an okay walk. All I could focus on was not freezing to death and not slipping on ice. There were some frozen patches of ice on the path to the center of the labyrinth, so it was not exactly the easiest thing to walk on, especially with my 3-inch boots on. Besides that, everything else remained the same. The ground felt the same, the cold was still there, and the tree behind the labyrinth was also there as well. I found myself rushing to the center of the labyrinth, completely ignoring the purpose it served. At least the air smelled nice under my cold breath for a brief second. I guess the chilly wind was not all that bad.

I made the brilliant decision of spending half an hour on the balcony yesterday when it was absolutley frigid outside. I spent the first 10 minutes pondering my inevitable death. Somehow, my mind wandered from snow to the cold, to what might happen if I were to fall asleep on the balcony. After that, it was all downhill. I went straight from thinking about how I was so exhausted I could fall asleep on the spot, to thinking about getting lost and forgotten and it just wasn't a happy time. Then, a group of little children ran by, and for anyone that knows me even remotely well, they know that more than anything at all in this world, I gain extreme happiness from being around children.

My walk down to the tree is more of a challenge than I expect. There's just enough ice and just enough hill that it's hard not to slip. I can feel when the rubber links on the bottoms of my boots grab onto one of the small patches of grass that pokes through the ice. When I sit on the bench it takes a while for my thoughts to focus. My week has been busy I'm not sure of the assignment My fingers are getting cold Why didn't I bring a scarf Was this a stupid spot to pick. I'm not sure how I'm going to turn the things I'm thinking into something cohesive that I can share with other people.

I suppose I can’t help but keep The Lives of Animals in mind as I write this post…

Walking to the site, I inevitably made too much noise. I didn't have the padding of snow to quiet my steps, so the crunch of sneakers on underbrush and synthetic fabric rubbing together must have alerted everything living around me that I was there. I tried to make the short venture quickly to not attract too much attention—from humans or birds or rabbits or whomever else lives near these woods.

I'm always looking for places to walk with people to have important conversations. The last three times I've done this, I've taken three different people to the same place. There's a reason for this: The patio behind Batten is my favorite place on campus. This week when I went on my site sit, I sat and thought about what I wanted to get out of these half hour visits. While I know that part of the exercise is to challenge ourselves to think about the world around us, I would like to use my time to have important converstions with myself, to use the sounds in nature to inspire my own thought. 

I struggled a bit with finding a sit space that felt right. I initially thought I would sit outside, either in Taft Garden or Morris Woods. I quickly realized, however, that as much as I stare in wonder at the fluffy white snow, I can't stand to be in it if I'm not walking somewhere. I wandered the campus for a bit after this, looking for a space that was still connected to outdoors, but without actually being outdoors. In the end I decided on Collier Library in Park Science Building. I walk past the library each day going to class and its impossible to miss the lovely glass atrium on the front of the building. I realized I have never been into this atrium, though, and only had a vague idea of how to actually get in there.

My "scape" is #30 on the Bryn Mawr College Tree Tour:





A student in my ESem told me about it last semester--that it's labeled "Serenity" but is known (among you all?) as "the pot tree."