Maddie's Nature Blog

Nina Bacon, Maddie Droguett, Meredith Goldberg Dr. Dan Williams HCOL 4000 5 December 2023 Nature's Classroom: Surmounting Challenges and Cultivating Connections For our concluding presentation, we opted to address two recurrent semester themes: surmounting challenges and employing nature for interpersonal connection. As a group, we had unexpected experiences while exploring nature in this class, such as when we went canoeing and volunteering at the nature reserve. Despite encountering challenging circumstances, we managed to forge meaningful memories and now reflect upon the trials with humor. Additionally, by exploring nature with our journals throughout the semester, we contemplated on messages imparted by our loved ones, creating new experiences in sacred natural spaces. Our first major takeaway from this class is in relation to the impact of nature on our mental and physical wellbeings. We found, from our experience this semester, that overcoming challenges in nature continuous...

  For my last nature stroll of the semester, I headed out to the Waterside area in Fort Worth, tucked behind REI. This area is a frequent stop for my partner and me—him, for the joy of browsing through REI's aisles, and me, for the Whole Foods vibes. We walked leisurely through the small park nestled between these two shops, an area designed with families in mind. There's ample space for kids to frolic and play, with nice music playing as well, which helped drown out the noise from the sometimes screaming children.      In this area, there were many beautiful trees and potted flowers. It is a well-manicured place, so I’m not sure it qualifies as a true nature retreat. The trees lining the nearby apartment building caught my eye. But I do have to admit that the trees that lined the apartment building were interesting to look at since each tree was changing colors in different ways. In the play area, there were sprawling trees coming out of the deck. I wondered how old...

  In our penultimate class, we had our Mary Oliver presentations. Originally, I thought I would present the poem “Just as the Calendar Began to Say Summer”. The poem's major themes hit home for me, especially Oliver's struggle with the academic grind, torn between school and the allure of nature. As a kid, I also struggled with going to school and would have rather spent time outside playing with friends. At the last minute, I decided to change to the poem “Don’t Hesitate”. After reading and analyzing this piece, I noticed it related much closer to the issues I am facing in my life currently. Oliver made me realize that I should seek joy in my life without regard to how that will be perceived by others.      Hearing my other classmates discuss their poems of choice was beautiful. I think it is amazing that we were all able to find different poems that spoke to us and had special meaning as well. I liked hearing about the poem “Backyard” and Ashton's reflections on ...

Now that I'm free to be myself, who am I?  Can't fly, can't run, and see how slowly I walk.  Well, I think, I can read books.  "What's that you're doing?"  the green-headed fly shouts as it buzzes past.  I close the book.  Well, I can write down words, like these, softly.  "What's that you're doing?" whispers the wind, pausing in a heap just outside the window. Give me a little time, I say back to its staring, silver face.  It doesn't happen all of a sudden, you know.  "Doesn't it?" says the wind, and breaks open, releasing distillation of blue iris.  And my heart panics not to be, as I long to be, the empty, waiting, pure, speechless receptacle.      Mary Oliver's poem "Blue Iris" delves into the beauty of nature, emphasizing the transient nature of life. The blue iris serves as a powerful symbol, embodying both enchanting allure and fleeting impermanence. Oliver prompts readers to reflect on the fragility...

     Over Thanksgiving break, I was able to walk around UNT's campus and observe the nature in Denton.  On this particular day, it was cold and windy, which is not my favorite kind of weather. Thankfully, I was dressed in appropriate clothing for the day, in layers and insulated shoes. Just the week prior we had our class activity to walk around campus, so I thought it was fun to contrast the two schools.      UNT is a younger university than TCU, being founded in 1890. However, it has been in north Texas longer, since TCU was only moved to Fort Worth in 1910. This explains the older feel of the university. Every building had a slightly different style and was visibly more worn than what you see on TCU’s campus. The science buildings exuded a sense of history and embodied a traditional university atmosphere. In contrast, the business building had recently undergone renovation. This observation resonated with themes discussed in our environmentalist wri...

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,  don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.      This poem intrigued me because of its title. My initial reaction was, who would hesitate to feel joy? If there are people who hesitate, why would that be? What is there to fear? I suppose this is a naive thought for me to have. Some people grow skeptical of joy because they have been scarred before, perhaps by another person or by a situation. It becomes easier to be sad and miserable b...