Treks & Texts Justification
As the fall semester wraps up, our team chose to film our video in a documentary format to establish a holistic reflection of our time in Treks & Texts. Our video details the many places where we can indulge in nature in Fort Worth. Each area was specifically chosen to visit to reflect on our learnings from Treks & Texts carefully. We then concluded our travels by meeting at the Fort Worth Water Gardens, where we all unanimously love to experience nature. Throughout our video, we discuss many themes, connections, and takeaways from a truly fantastic course.
Throughout the course, we had the opportunity to reflect on our experiences in different natural environments. This was especially the case in our written blogs, where we learned how to write effectively about our connection with nature in various places. For example, our canoeing adventure on Benbrook Lake was indescribable. However, these opportunities helped us improve our writing and observational skills. Now, we will be ready to document our natural encounters in the future.
Additionally, we found significant resonance in the wisdom of authors like Abbey and Thoreau, whose profound writings we explored in class. They struck an emotional chord with their emphasis on materialism, simplicity, and resisting the fast-paced nature of our society. Mary Oliver's teachings served as an additional reminder of the value of taking it slow, spending time in nature, and discovering an appreciation for our everyday beauty. During our five weeks of volunteer work at the Nature Reserve this semester, we had a transformative pause from the never-ending demands of technology and the hustle and bustle of daily life. We disconnected from technology while we served and connected to the park's peacefulness, establishing connections with one another and the natural world.
Without a doubt, Mary Oliver helped us in a challenging time with the demands on our lives to find beauty and sacred peace in the mundane tasks of daily life. A few of us stated how they would text and walk to class; now, after the inspirational teachings from this course, we put our phones away and paid attention to the simplicity of nature around us, as they found beauty among the chaos. Therefore, this semester was a profound reminder to stop, savor, and appreciate the changing leaves, the gentle breeze, and the tranquility that unfolds when we take the time to connect with nature on a mindful, spiritual level.
Furthermore, our video touches on nature being a force of interconnectivity. Interconnectivity holds extreme importance when discussing the success of all life on Earth. Nature teaches us that humans play a significant role in the environment while depending on natural forces to help us survive. We must adapt and adjust to nature as time passes because nature is ever-changing regardless of our intentions. Therefore, Treks & Texts highlights our world's reality while engaging us in ideas where we are not the center of the universe. The idea of humans being minute to the grander schemes of life makes us take the time to appreciate life and the world around us from a new perspective.
Lastly, this semester's key takeaway was appreciating the "ordinary" in life. As discussed in several readings, especially with Thoreau and Abbey, there is something special about being outside, despite how "mundane" it may appear. Our various experiences, both through text and lived, have taught us to appreciate all around us a little more. To enjoy nature for how it is and how it will forever be.
In conclusion, Treks & Texts provided us with immeasurable insight into the world we live in with ever-lasting life lessons that we each will carry on. This course brought us new experiences and fun memories, all of which have shaped a new outlook on life in a transformative way. We hope our documentary fully demonstrates this newfound appreciation and understanding of nature through Dr. Williams's exceptional guidance!
Thank you for everything!
