Since I had to walk for an hour, I let my feet take me where they would, impulsively deciding to wander around the parts of campus I hadn’t yet fully explored, searching for interesting colors. It was really nice to wander around campus in no hurry, with no place to be anytime soon, with no heavy backpack to carry. I was able to enjoy walking more than I usually do. My mind and body were free to enjoy the sights and sounds of spring’s first days.
I started my walk at the parking garage where I leave my car and usually walk to class, looking for interesting trees and flowers, the things I usually notice and appreciate on my habitual path, but don’t always take the time to fully enjoy. After I found some purple flowers and interesting bright green tree moss, I dropped my backpack in my locker, and, unhindered, continued my little adventure, aiming to get to Old Main, since I think it’s pretty over there and should have some pleasing hues to capture.
I walked over to Alkek and took detours when I saw little nooks and crannies that I hadn’t stepped into before, taking the opportunity to explore them and search them for meaning. I eventually meandered over to Old Main, where I was greeted by the big, old, trees with spreading branches and deep shadows of green, brown, and black. They’re very comforting, giving off a sheltering yet mystical feel.
I took a lot of pictures of trees and flowers. I seemed to gravitate toward green things and anything that stood out next to the green things. For example: I found some early bluebonnets, which stood out nicely against their highly saturated green grass background. A thing to note about bluebonnets, they aren’t entirely blue, they contain white, blue, yellow, pink, and purple. I remembered the flowers start white and yellow before turning blue, but had forgotten that each little flower, once mature, has a pink/red center, probably for guiding bees into the center for pollen and nectar.
Some other colors also took me by surprise. I saw a small bird outlined against the pale gray sky. It appeared entirely dark gray, like the branch it perched on. When it flew down, closer to my eye level, I saw that the bird wasn’t actually gray at all, it was a vibrant yellow and black. I couldn’t see its true colors until the angle and lighting changed, and I was very surprised. If I hadn’t watched him closely I never would have known he was so beautiful.
It’s funny how little you really see, though your eyes are open. So many images flit across our eyes that we choose to tune out. How many little gray birds have we seen that are actually yellow if we would just be patient enough to watch them a little moment? When you decide to look for beauty in your environment you very often find it.
-Alana Radkevich (February 23. 2023)