Ecology Lab
9/10/13 Nature Assignment

Mondays can be a very stressful day of the week. This last one was particularly challenging for me so I took advantage of completing this assignment in order to separate myself from all the stresses of the world and simply isolate myself in nature. After completing my last lab of the day, I headed for the north side of the duck pond at the entrance of the forest. There is a little pocket barely entering the forest encircled by trees. At around 9:30 at night, there is a lot of movement going on in the forest. As I laid on the grass, I cleared my mind and simply listened to the sounds of the crickets and all the other critters chirping their melodious song. The wind blowing through the leaves of the trees as I felt the ants crawl on my skin. I did not shake them off but let them crawl on the surface of my skin. I also saw a few tiny green bugs that would fly on and off my notebook as I laid on the soft grass. the night got darker and the chirping got louder as time pressed forward. The darkness did not allow me to see farther than about 30 feet ahead of me, so I simply let my senses of touch, hearing, and smell guide me in telling me what was around me. It is extremely relaxing to just listen to God's nature in its daily routine, it is a way to rest from our own routine, especially after such a stressful day. Even though I got bit by a couple of ants, I left the duck pond with a sense of peace.