Recently, as an assignment from my English teacher, I went for a walk around my neighborhood. At the time I did not understand the assignment. I had school work to do and had no desire to go for a walk to "observe nature and how it affects you." Reluctantly, I opened the front door; the crisp fall air immediately hit me. I felt a sudden refreshment fill my lungs. At that moment I realized that it had been awhile since I had been truly conscious of what is outside my front door. Slowly, I walked down the steps to my front lawn. I gazed at the peacefulness of nature. The almost bare trees swayed in the wind, while tiny birds perched on the fragile limbs chirped to me down below. Finally, I understood why Louise Erdrich said, “[A]fter a few years of living in the country, the impulse to get outside hit me..." (5). Although I had to be told to go outside, I realized that I needed this walk. I had been so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, that I hadn't taken the time to stop and rest. The quietness and serenity of my surroundings engulfed me. Like Erdrich, I needed to go outside and be one with nature.

Everything looks so beautiful in the fall. All the foliage is changing to wonderful reds, yellows, and oranges. I keep walking, looking around, trying to take all of nature in before it changes to the cold darkness of winter. I peered into the small stream across from my house. The water is crystal clear as it ripples over stones and sticks, catching fallen leaves from the surrounding trees. When looking in the water I recalled the experience Rick Bass had on a family hunting trip in the deer pasture. In northern Texas, when he goes to get a bucket of water from the frozen lake, he has his deepest epiphany or transcendent moment. He says, “I had never seen before how complex but also ordered is the stacking all the layers and levels of the world, and all the worlds-beneath-worlds” (8). I was experiencing the different worlds, too. There was one in the brook I was standing beside, another below me in the earth and grass, and so many other unique levels living in unison in nature. It is amazing to think that all these levels work together to make up our planet. If anything in one of these layers is changed or damaged it not only affects the organisms living these but also those who live around it.

Gradually, I started back to my house. However, some litter left by careless passersby caught my eye. I found the discarded fast food cup and crumpled paper bag very disturbing. I tried to comprehend how someone could have tossed these items and did not think of the consequences. Suddenly, it occurred to me that human beings’ thoughtless acts were the main cause of polluting the environment. In the same moment, I realized that whenever I hear anything about nature it is usually a warning about how if humans don’t change their ways, we will ruin the natural world. I would like to think that I am not contributing to this destruction, but deep down I know I am. No matter how many speeches I hear about helping the environment, I’m afraid there are not many things I could change myself. I have to drive a car, use electricity, and eventually, throw trash away. When I read “My Bird Problem,” I understood where Jonathan Franzen was coming from. After hearing a speech made by Al Gore, Franzen makes a list of ways he is environmentally conscious. However, I believe, deep down, he feels guilty too, and is trying to go about changing some parts of his life. Franzen says, “Gore's message was so disturbing that I was nearly back to my apartment before I could think of some reasons to discount it” (5). I think many people make these excuses because they also don’t know how they can make a difference by themselves. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out how to change all the little things we do. Maybe it’s true that if everyone made a few little changes, they would add up to one big change.

As I continued to walk back to my house, I remembered how many good times I had while playing outside in nature when I was younger. Things have really changed since those days. I used to ride my bike all the time and play in my backyard every day. Now, I have no time and when I do have time I don’t deem spending it outside that important. I had been so unenthusiastic about going this for walk; but once I was almost home, I came to the conclusion that I enjoyed this peaceful time by myself. I felt I should return to the simple philosophy of spending time with nature, like I did as a child.

As I walked back up the steps to my house, I took one last look at the trees and flowers, and thought to myself that the next time I have a free moment I will go for another walk. I had discovered that going for a simple walk once in awhile can be beneficial. Although it seemed trivial before I left my house, this walk made me feel refreshed and allowed me to realize importance of nature in my life.



Works Cited

Bass, Rick. “A Texas Childhood.” The Best American Spiritual Writing 2004. Phillip Zaleski, ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

Edrich, Louise. “Skunk Dreams.” The Best American Essays 1994. Tracy Kider and Robert Atwan, eds. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.

Franzen, Jonathan. “My Bird Problem.” The New Yorker. August 8 and 15, 2005.