I have always thought of myself as pretty in touch with nature. I love hiking, being at the beach, and just being outside. I did not realize how connected I really am until the discussion we had in class. I took the picture to the left a few days after that discussion. I was running in Bagley and realized that while I was running on this beautiful trail I was holding my phone, which was allowing me to listen to music, check my voice mails, take pictures, and attempt to text my brother back just as I tripped over a root that was sticking out in the middle of the trail. After the initial shock of the fact that I had just fallen flat on my face I thought "what am I doing?!". This picture does not do justice to how pretty Bagley gets in the fall, and I was paying more attention to everything else than to the beauty of nature right in front of my face.
I go on a run or a hike almost every day; not only in Bagley, but on the other trails around Duluth too. I have been leaving my phone at home and really appreciating nature. It is so refreshing to listen to the wind and sounds around me, as cheesy as that sounds. Leaving my phone at home also gives me that hour of time to just think, or to not think at all. I have felt a lot more calm in my every day life since I started leaving my phone at home to run or hike. I definitely noticed the feeling of calm at the time but have just in the past couple days started realizing how much more all around calm I am in my every day life. Try disconnecting for just an hour every day to enjoy nature, breath in the fresh air, and I bet you too will start to feel a greater sense of calm.
