Nature Walk #2: Benbrook Lake

  This Tuesday, I joined the class on a canoeing adventure in Benbrook Lake! While those of us who attended this excursion know how it went, I want to focus more on my sentiments before we even stepped foot in the canoe. When I initially signed up for this activity, I was nervous. While I had never given it much thought, I realized I tend to stray away from water-related activities. 

    This past summer, I was somewhat pressured to go white water rafting in Colorado and then go on a small boat in Florida. Though I tend to view myself as an optimistic person who is up for new adventures, the thought of participating in both of those activities gave me great anxiety. Despite having a good time at both my Colorado and Florida adventures, I still felt that same level of anxiety when thinking about our canoeing trip. I think the vast unknown element of water scares me, as I believe there is inherent danger within its depths that I am unaware of. 

    Additionally, I felt worried about all the obligations I would be neglecting by going out to the lake for a few hours. I tend to not make the time to go into nature for so long and I have a hard time letting go of my typical routine. With all that being said, I knew that in the end, the canoeing adventure would help my mental state and provide good physical movement for the day. And that is exactly what it did! Even though the canoeing was cut short, as soon as we were on the lake I immediately found myself focusing on the water. All of my worries about deadlines, due dates, commitments, and assignments left my brain. I find that nature tends to be the best medicine to clear my mind of all the worries I have. I also slept so well that night, which is not only a testament to how at ease my mind was but also to the exercise I had done.

    In the end, we still got to catch a beautiful sunset and enjoy a fun ride home with nice music. I’m grateful for the reminder of nature’s healing powers. I need to explore the outdoors more because it brings me peace and helps me overcome my racing thoughts.

    




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