Changes Happen Fast, and Without Warning
Sense of place is not a sense but rather a feeling. Unlike nature and humans, I don’t believe that your sense of place changes much or at all. It’s a feeling that comes and goes as time and location changes, but it in itself doesn’t change.
Since the first time I laid eyes on my site, there have been mainly physical changes to the area. However, these changes can cause a mental state change as well. What I mean by this is that even though the color changing of the leaves and the snow are beautiful, when those are gone, the trees are bare and desolate. The area looks dead and desolate which can put my mindset into a tizzy. Like I said before, most of the trees have lost their leaves at this point and the colors of the last tree with leaves are gorgeous but can’t really compete with the bare trees that surround it. The squirrels and chipmunks were storing up for the winter, but now I hardly ever see a squirrel and the chipmunks have all disappeared. My area gets cold pretty fast too because there is nothing to block the wind anymore and it’s hard to stay out there very long. These factors have changed my liking for being there, which in turn alters my sense of place there because it is not somewhere enjoyable to be anymore.
I don’t know much about the history of my place besides the fact that it is a part of campus. I think that if a place does have a history however, it is more enjoyable and you can think about the different factors that led to the spot being what it is now. You can imagine how this place was when whatever happened in the past happened. I think it would give a place more character and bring it to life a little more, especially in the barren winter.
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