I blink and the television in my living room flashes with bright colors and loud sounds flooded the room. I switched the channel to Netflix, everyone’s favorite streaming service, and started to play a show I have been watching recently. The show Explained, a documentary based show where each episode focuses on a unique topic, the first episode was about diamonds. I learned that “diamonds are the world’s most popular gemstone,” and that diamonds come from the mantle, unlike other gemstones which form under much less pressure. According to the show, most of the diamonds we see today were formed between 1.5 and 3.5 billion years ago while others actually predate life on earth. Although the hour passed rather quickly I got up feeling somewhat sluggish and unenergetic. Unsurprisingly, I had also developed a headache by the end of the hour which had begun so quiet that I barely noticed it but once the tv was off, and my eyes were no longer bombarded with bright colors and loud sound, the headache reared its ugly head demanding my attention. I frowned and decided it was time for a change in scenery.
I walked outside into the woods by my house, across from Mercer Lake, and just started to walk. Immediately my head felt clearer. It was much quieter outside, however, it was also so cold that soon after my walk began my ears turned a bright red numb. I looked around and saw brown scattered along the ground and the path as far as the eye could see. I looked up and I saw the bare branches of trees swaying in the wind a gust hit me as well and I shivered. I also saw squirrels jumping from tree to tree above me. I closed my eyes listening to the world around me. It was eerily silent except for the occasional rustle of leaves or the sing-song chirp of a bird hiding out of sight. The cold helped wake me up and added a pep to my step. I felt much better than I had watching tv, my mind felt clear and my body felt more energetic. My headache had even started to clear. After an hour out in the cold, I walked back to my house.
Thinking back on both these experiences, my hour inside and my hour outside taught me more than I thought it would. I learned all about diamonds during my hour indoors and I learned about the value of peaceful silence during my hour outside. I enjoy tv as much as the next person but this experiment taught me that I actually felt more and was able to think more freely. While watching television I realized that it is all listening and you absorb half of the information because of how fast it is presented. Outside I had the time and space to let my mind wander and really absorb all that I was experiencing. I learned that I like spending time outside, more than I thought I would, and that it can actually make you feel physically better than sitting around inside.