Journal #4: Overton Park

Our class excursion today was to Overton Park. The first thing I noticed when we arrived was how HOT it was. Now don’t get me wrong, being from Minnesota I will take any and all warm weather I can get, but today was swelteringly hot. The class took a short walk to an open area that was shaded. As my classmates began to discuss the reading, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet the park was. I almost felt as though I had left Fort Worth and entered the countryside. There was no noise of cars on the highway, no students chattering outside class, and no bickering conversations on cell phones. The only disturbance, if you can even call it that because it was so minor, was the occasional huff and puff of a jogger passing by or the squeaking of a rusty bike chain.

Being that the beginning of fall is only a few days away, I couldn’t help but notice how green the leaves still were. One thing I miss dearly about home is watching the leaves turn bright yellow, red, and orange as autumn begins. The park had many large trees that provided a blanket of shade. I began to think what a perfect place this would be for my morning runs. As I sat on the ground, I noticed these small, white bugs circling my shoes. The bugs had an almost opaque body, but it was difficult to tell for certain because they were so tiny. I wanted to snap a picture, but I didn’t want to interrupt the discussion, and by the time I had my phone it was too late. Oh the agonies of being a nature writer!

One of the authors we focused our discussion on today was Henry David Thoreau. I have a little experience reading Thoreau, although not much, and I really enjoy his writing. I am always intrigued by his ways of challenging the status quo and causing havoc for the reader. He also focuses on self-reliance and the importance of simplicity, especially in Walden. I always struggle with this idea in my mind, questioning what our world would look like without all the modern technology and our constant desire to consume, consume, consume. I find myself guilty of this often. I forget how important the little things can be in life. And what I find ironic is that I tell myself I am too busy to spend time in reflection or to be alone in nature, but then when I do take the time to do these things, I find that I have a sense of calmness that is restored. I can also get wrapped up in materialistic things that in the grand scheme of things are not important.

One of the passages that really stood out to me was when Thoreau describes the Battle of the Ants. At first, the passage comes across as an exaggerated description between two different groups of ants. However, after rereading the passage I began to see the connection that Thoreau was making. I think he was trying to open the reader’s eyes to the fact that war is ineffective and pointless.

I was surprised at how much detail he went into and the drama he created with something so seemingly unimportant. It reminded me of all the times that I have seen ant hills and tried purposefully to avoid them. He compares the ants to humans, with nothing but a difference of scale. He then zooms in on a few specific ants watching them fight “with more pertinacity than bulldogs.” I reflected on how pointless some of the arguments are that I have with my parents or my roommates, noticing how nothing positive ever came out of such encounters.

As class finished up and we began to walk back to class, I noticed how my mind instantly began to shift back to the many things I needed to get done before the next day. I find it intriguing that my mind was able to escape the hustle and bustle to enjoy nature for a little while, but as soon as I began to leave that environment, my mind began to race again. I think this is a result of the extremely face pace of our society and our constant focus on being as efficient as possible, not wanting to waste any time.