As I sit at my spot, I feel a wave of contentment wash over me. Throughout the past two semesters, I’ve come to this spot consistently to do these phenology blogs and enjoy nature. It’s very sentimental being back here for the last time this semester, and posting my final blog. I’ve realized that my spot has become as if a second home to me here in Vermont. It’s a place I can always access and find peace and comfort in. Hearing the stream pass by makes me think of this first year at UVM.
It’s a winding path, endless to the eye, flowing in different directions at different speeds. There’s interruptions like sticks and rocks throughout, making for an interesting ripple in the water’s face. The reflective aspect draws humans in, as if a natural mirror to see themselves in. To see how they’ve changed. I’ve changed a lot since my first blog, just as my spot has. This is where I consider nature and culture intertwined. There’s something about this raw connection to nature, the peace that is found by simply sitting in the forest. I find myself being a part of this spot. I’ve spent so much time discovering all sorts of nooks and crannies here, discovering the flora and fauna species surrounding the area. I’ve heard so many bird species in my time sitting here today alone.
I don’t ever want to leave this place, as insignificant as it may be to others, I’ve really grown an attachment to it and its story. It’s so much more than just a little area of the woods to walk by. If you look a little closer, you may just find that the bubbles in the water dissipate two yards away from the wall of dirt they curve by, or that the snag located in the middle holds all sorts of bugs and birds’ stories in its wood. Everything in this place is alive. I am alive, and that connection alone truly makes this place impactful. So I sit here, and think about all that I’ve done in my first year at UVM and all that I’ll do in the future, knowing that in this moment I am at peace and will always have a spot to go to. And to that, I wish all my readers a good farewell. Thank you for reading my blogs.
Signing off for good,
Hailey