By: Jasmine Padgett
Based on my current media habits, I knew that an hour on my iPhone would not be difficult work for me. I easily spent that hour mindlessly swiping myself into a TikTok hole, focusing on everything and nothing all at the same time. Now writing this, I can’t even fully remember each piece of information that I consumed. I added a few travel destinations to my list, let out a giggle or two at some silly video that I sent to my partner, and was made aware of yet another pair of shoes that I need in my wardrobe. I gained very little from my hour scrolling despite the plethora of stimuli and overwhelming sum of information.
While harvesting tomatoes at Arcadia Farms near Fort Belvoir Virginia, I spent this much more fruitful hour in a naturalistic environment winding through the tomato vines inspecting each section for any that were ripe for the picking. As I made my way down the seemingly endless garden rows in a quiet corner of the farm, I found myself humming a catchy tune, becoming more aware of my breathing, and noticing each organism that surrounded me. The birds above, the breeze in the leaves, the bugs… all around, caught my attention and added to the refreshing and almost soothing atmosphere.
The bucket full of delicious sun gold cherry tomatoes wasn’t the only thing that resulted from this experience for me. I came out of the hour outside with a clear head, organized, meaningful thoughts, and a memory that will endure forevermore. For a while now I have noticed how harmful my media consumption is to my productivity and mental state as a whole. It is clear from these two hours of information that I feel infinitely more fulfilled when I am present within my surroundings, experiencing, feeling, and interacting with what the environment provides.
Taken by Jasmine Padgett