Lesson from Nature 2

   When we went to the Noland Trail as a class, Dr. Redick told us a story about a former student who did not like being at the trail because he/she did not understand how to interact with nature because trees do not talk. Dr. Redick related being able to communicate with nature to the same way dogs and humans interact. Dogs give signals: wagging the tail, running around in circles, or tucking in the tail to communicate what they need and the owner knows exactly what to do without having ever exchanged words with the dog. I was excited to go to the trail because it is one of my favorite places here, but I was feeling the same way that the former student had felt; I wasn't expecting much in the area of "communicating" with nature. But as Dr. Redick made the connection to the dog it came to my attention that, as a dancer, I communicate stories and emotions every day to people without every saying a word. I communicate through movement and nature is constantly moving and changing and therefore must be able to communicate.
   After walking the trail and seeing the trees showing off their last couple weeks of leaves and the brilliance of their colors, I headed back to the river to watch the sunset. I got to the river a couple minutes before the sun started to set and found a rock with the best view to sit on. Sitting in silence with a few other people from class was not awkward at all because we were all engaged with nature and anticipating what colors the sun was about to paint the sky. Throughout the trail, I experienced communitas by talking with classmates and sharing stories and here I experienced communitas through the silence. While waiting for the sun to set, I thought about all the sunsets I have seen in my life and wondered why I have yet to get tired of them? As I wonder this I remember that each sunset is created by the Creator just for me and how could I get bored with the God of the universe; "Nature runs wild because God, too, is an untamed lover of freedom" (213).
   The sun began to set and in that moment it seemed like nature's internal clock slowed down. The sky began to tun purple and pink and the waves began to slap the rocks with less force. Nature was preparing itself for the serenity of night. The color hues in the sky grew darker and more vibrant as the water moved slower and slower. I felt like this was nature's way of telling me that it's natural to slow down and I should follow its suit. My heart slowed down and things seemed at peace. It was hard to leave knowing that coming back to campus, not everyone would have partaken in this experience and would subsequently still be moving 100 miles per hour.