Date:
Saturday 4/7/2018
Location:
On the bench at Lehigh Campus, on the walking path. I see beautiful buildings
and huge, towering trees.
Time:
18:53
Who is
with you? I am with myself, and my two dogs, Roxy and Rumor.
Describe
the place: I am sitting on a wrought iron and wood bench, it’s cold because it’s
getting dark soon. The sun is setting in the distance, it’s last rays blocked
out by huge trees. There is a wide, red brick path stretching through large,
beautifully constructed buildings. Their architechture is stunning, and each
building is unique. Some buildings are labeled as old as 1890. Some have little
masks hidden in the arcs of their winds, all smiling. Some have creepy
gargoyles on their roofs. Some are newer, and not as embellished, I like those
the least. Due to their sheer size, they are well spread out throughout
perfectly groomed hills of green grass. There is a wide set of gray, low set
stairs going up one of the hills. One or two people here or there are walking
from building to building, or down the brick path. The trees are gigantic,
towering over anyone. They have wide branches at the tops and leaves that
spread out very widely. In the distance I hear the cars bustling down the
nearby city streets. My dogs are panting from our walk from our house to here.
Weather:
feels like 40 degrees. A slight breeze from time to time, maybe 5mph from the
south
What are
you thinking and feeling? Its calm and I love to come here for a little nature
in the middle of the city. It’s only a few blocks away and the architecture is
also something I quite enjoy looking at here. I come often and like to look at
the old buildings and all the things their architects hid in their designing.
My son loves to ride his bike here as well.
What have
you learned? How has your thinking changed? What are you motivated to go do?
Honestly I haven’t learned anything new because I have spent a lot of time
walking around here in different patterns looking at the old buildings.
However, I would say my thinking is a little calmer and it was nice to take
time out to just sit and observe for a moment. As far as motivation, I have to
get home because it is getting dark, then get some chores done. I wouldn’t say
I am any more or less motivated than when I left the house.
Personal
Account: I have lived in Bethlehem for 4 years, and I have come here all the
time. This place has always been a little slice of nature in the city for me.
My dogs like to come chase squirrels here and my son rides his bike. There are
lots of birds here that sing a lot of different songs. But as previously
mentioned, my favorite is looking at all the architecture here. Also, I feel
safe walking here alone with my son, as sometimes the city can be a scary place
for a single mom. The people are friendly and always ask to pet the dogs, and
there are police call boxes placed every so often in case of emergency. I’m
grateful for Lehigh allowing everyone to use the campus for outside activities
even though you don’t attend the school.
Date:
4/9/2018 Monday
Location:
On my front porch. Cars are going by on the street ahead of me, the sun’s rays
are starting to get brighter and brighter in the morning sky
Time:
07:07
Who is
with you? I am with my dogs, Roxy and Rumor. They are sitting on either side of
me also watching cars drive and people walk by
Describe
the place. I am sitting on my large, wooden porch. My yard is the only one on
Wyandotte st with a front yard, so my house is set a bit back from the sidewalk,
unlike all the other houses on the street. The number of cars starting to drive
by in increasing as more and more people wake up and go to work. A blinking
yellow light sits above the middle of the street directly across from my house.
The sky is a light blue with streaks of rich gold from the emerging sun’s rays.
Occasionally, someone walks down the side walk past our house, or cross the
street using the sidewalk directly in front of my house. My dogs bark in low
tones when people go by, but don’t leave my side on the porch. I can see my
breath and the dog’s breath in the crisp morning air. There is a raucous chorus
of birds all singing loudly at once. I can’t see them but they are singing so
loudly I can hardly hear some of the cars drive by.
Weather:
Feels like 30 degrees, no wind
What are
you thinking and feeling? I am enjoying the small amount of peace in the morning
before my son wakes up and before the day starts.
What have
you learned? How has your thinking changed? What are you motivated to go do? I can’t really say I have learned
something new about my neighborhood. I am feeling cold but calm and it was nice
to spend a little time in the morning sitting instead of having to get things
done all of the time. I feel ready to get the day started despite being sick. (I hope)
Personal
Account: I often experience sonder, which is described by The Dictionary of
Obscure Sorrows as: “(n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a
life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions,
friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues
invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate
passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in
which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background,
as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.”
I most
definitely experience this when I take a moment and observe the world around me,
and these two field journal posts are no different. It’s rare that I have a
spare moment to myself as a single mother, and usually my son wakes up before I
do. Having the quiet time in the morning felt like a perfect opportunity to just
focus on watching the world start to wake up around me, in a sense. I am
usually not a morning person, but calm mornings are pretty damn alright.
