Somewhere in the Manassas Battlefield around 6:30 P.M.
As I pull up to the hidden parking lot meant for horse trailers, I begin to make observations: the field is overgrown this time of year, so even the “official” walking path requires long socks and plenty of bug-spray. As I start down the path, the sounds of I-66 quickly fade away. It’s rush hour, so the calming sounds of nature are a welcome escape.
The first segment of the path transects a large field, where I typically see the most wildlife. This evening is no different: a small herd of deer spot me long before I see them. Luckily, I’m quick on the draw and I manage to snap a picture as they run from me.
The battlefield is a protected area, so wildlife is plentiful. In the past, I’ve spotted deer, turkeys, box turtles, black rat snakes, and groundhogs. I keep a sharp eye out as I continue through the field, but no other critters decide to make themselves known to me.
The next portion of the path follows the Bull Run creek through a section of woods. Due to recent rains, Bull Run is running slightly high and fast, and is significantly muddier than usual. There is a pile of rubbish close by that creates a great environment for reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. I gently lift up a few boards and a section of tin roofing, but no one’s home. I gently replace the boards as I found them so that the critters can continue to use them for shelter.
Another 5 minutes down the path I reach my destination: a small pond where I intend to fish. When approaching a fishing hole, it is very important to take note of several factors that will optimize your chances of catching a fish. The sun is setting, so I know the fish will be hungry. It is still relatively hot out, so the fish will be hanging around shade and in deeper parts of the pond. Lastly, the recent rains have risen the water levels and dirtied the water. This means the fish will have a hard time seeing, which means they will hang around brush piles in the water and chase after louder lures.
After taking all off these factors into account, I spent the final hour of my mission fishing in all the right spots with all the right baits and caught a largemouth bass in the exact spot I expected him to be.
Later that night, in a basement somewhere in Manassas
As the night winds down, I turn on my Xbox One to decompress after a long day. I initially intend to watch some funny videos to help relax, but one of my friends sends me an invitation to play Fortnite: Battle Royale. I know if I accept the invitation, I’ll be unable to get off at a reasonable hour and it will seriously affect my sleep schedule. Being the responsible adult I am, I accept the invitation.
An average game of Fortnite lasts anywhere from 10 – 20 minutes, so the next hour goes by very quickly. One game seems to merge into the next as downtime between games rarely lasts more than 2 minutes. Before I know it, an hour has passed. I don’t recall any specific details from my time playing as each game can be very repetive, yet strangely addicting. I didn’t get off once my allotted hour of time was up, but it didn’t matter. Whether I had played for 10 minutes or 5 hours, the end result would have been the same.
What I learned:
Spending an hour in each of these locations had an interesting effect on me. While in nature, I was able to passively observe my surroundings and truly enjoy myself, while playing video games for an hour seemed to require a lot more focus while ultimately being much less rewarding. Enjoying nature and pinpointing the location of various animals based off of previous knowledge brought me true joy. Alternatively, playing video games required more human interaction, which, although it wasn’t face-to-face, brought me a small amount of joy.
I spend a decent percentage of my life partaking in these two activities. Now that I’ve analyzed how they made me feel more deeply, I may make some lifestyle changes to become a happier person.