The trip to the nature center was one of the best stress releases I have had in a long time! It was nice to get off campus and enjoy a mini road trip to escape the stresses of school. From the instant I stepped foot into the nature center I knew I would want to come back again as a place of refuge during the school year. Although the actual nature center seemed almost childish, it brought back fond memories of field trips to the zoo and other nature centers and trails near my home. I also enjoyed seeing some animals for once rather than humans all day on campus. It reminded me of a memory last year when I noticed how intrigued everyone would be when a flock of geese would waddle by or when the Valley Pond swan swam by. Students here at Western are lucky to have such a diverse ecosystem enclosing them to act as a stress release, whether they realize that or not.
Two features of the Kalamazoo Nature Center that I found enchanting were the near-absolute silence and the seemingly “deafening” noises nature made while I was there. Once I got near the Kalamazoo River, I was astounded at how quietly it flowed. I really wanted to go canoeing down the river at that instant, or even jump in it for a split second! The silence really gave me a load of time to relax and live in the present rather than worrying about the future. Once I got back onto the trail, I noticed how loud nature was in the absence of man-made noises. More specifically, I was astounded at the intensity the leaves hit the brush on the ground. As crazy as this may sound, a single leaf made a whole lot of noise for landing with such caution. The overall experience was one that will always remain in my fondest of memories, letting me know that there is always refuge in the busiest of times.
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