Nature's Music

Now that school is over (even though it ended Tuesday at 10:00am, I was at school until after 8pm cleaning that day and had to go back yesterday to finish it all up: packing up my classroom and protecting my items for when it is used for Summer School. I also had to bring back the 40 gallon tank which houses Turtle, my African Sideneck, and my 20 gallon fish tank) I can finally start working on my Summer To-Do List, which is unfortunately, quite long.

I started with some simple exercise. Thankfully, I just have to go down the road to get in a very pleasant nature walk. From my house to the dead-end nearby and back is a wonderful 3 mile trek. With some great hills and plenty of shading, you can't go wrong. This walk used to be my running trail and it would sure be nice to get back to that point sometime in the future, but this summer is for enjoyment, leisure, and a comfortable amount of productivity.

Often I notice people running/walking outside listening to their music as they go. Music as a sort of escape or distraction. I've done that plenty of times, but just about always come back to the conclusion that I like to have my ears free to catch the things that are happening around me. In the past, I've seen grouse, deer, rabbits, pheasants, snakes, squirrels, birds, random dogs and cats, all on my mini adventures. Of course, that's not including the llama farm that I go past, or the horses, cows, donkeys, chickens, and roosters that I see or hear in the yards of the neighbors along the way.

And yes, you can see some of these things while you go along with music, but I've found that I "see" a lot more without the music. Yesterday, as I took my first walk of the summer, I heard rustling in the grass ahead of me so I watched and waited... and out came two very young squirrels chasing each other through the tall grasses on the side of the road. Something I would have missed if I had been listening to music.

I continued my way and heard a funny noise that I thought might be a deer calling out. I didn't see anything, but kept an eye out. As I came to the dead end and headed back, I eventually saw a doe in the middle of the road. We locked eyes and then it took off. As soon as it was back in the woods, it started calling out again - I'm guessing a call of warning. But I listened and loved every second of it - something else I would have missed if I had been listening to music.

Focusing on my own thoughts and the nature around me is truly relaxing. I love seeing the blue birds fly above me and listen to the song birds that accompany me on my way. My goal this summer is to get a walk in everyday. Not just around my house, but anywhere... and, to prevent using my mp3 player the entire time. I'd like to see what I can truly "see" on each of these adventures. Maybe I should map out all the parks with trails that are around my area and start with some of those...

Happy Summer to everyone! I hope you get the opportunity to get out and enjoy nature as well.