Nature Savvy

One thing about me: I love animals. If there are animals to see, I have to see them. I recently had the opportunity to go on an adventure outdoors and meet lots of lovely animals. I was in paradise! I especially loved meeting the camels and baby llamas (also known as crias). Watching the animals happily roam around made me smile. They live such simple lives and are happy as can be. They were excited to see my friend and me, and I was even more excited to see them.              One of my favorite things about seeing animals is watching how they interact. The camels each tried to grab our attention, but it was clear they enjoyed being together. They are known to be social animals and typically stay in herds. Apparently, camels even blow on each other to greet one another. How adorable is that? Being with animals reminds me why we must take care of nature. I think back to one of our early discussions analyzing song lyrics that had to do with taking ca...

             What would a class about nature be without a trip outdoors? Our class trekked to the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge. As soon as we got there, we were told our task: chop down the privet. If you’re like me and have never heard of privet, I’ll give you some background. Privet – specifically Chinese privet – is an invasive species popular in the south. As it grows, it leaves little room for the other plants to stand a chance. That’s where we enter. Prepared with our pants, long sleeves, and bug spray, we were on a mission to take down this invasive .             When we got to where we were going to begin our task, there was privet everywhere. Every pivot brought more privet. We chopped and chopped, determined to make a change. By the end, we had huge piles of privet. I was proud of what we accomplished. It was fun, especially doing it alongside my peers.     ...

          Craving some time away from my computer screen, I asked a friend if she wanted to go on a walk around Trinity Park. We found a nice place to start our journey and explored the area. I have walked along the river numerous times, but the need for shade kept us on the trails underneath trees, and I realized there was so much more to Trinity Park than I knew.             Walking further into the park, I was disheartened by the polluted pond. A small pond near the busy Fort Worth roads was where many ducks, geese, and turtles chose to gather. However, they did not choose to gather  in  the pond, but rather around it. A sign that said “No Swimming No Fishing” was surrounded by ducks, almost as though they could read it and it was a warning to them. I couldn’t blame them for sitting on the sidelines – I would not want to swim or eat fish out of the pond either.    ...

               A friend recently asked me if I had been to the new Creative Commons at TCU. I had not, so I decided I would check it out. If you haven’t been, it is a section near the Music and FAB buildings with trees, plants, and sitting areas. With a stressful day ahead, I decided to engage in a mindful moment. I set a timer on my phone, put on my sunglasses, closed my eyes, and sat in complete silence. All I could hear was the occasional group of students walk by and the chirping of crickets.          For the first few minutes, I felt embarrassed. I felt like people were watching me, wondering what I was doing sitting by myself without a book or phone in hand. I was not having the peaceful mindful moment I envisioned. I soon realized, though, that people were probably not watching me. Even if they were, they probably noticed me for half a second and continued on with their day. Reflecting, I cannot help but wo...