I had Friday off for the first time in a while. No school and no work meant a day for nature. I started my trek towards Sky Meadows state park which is about a thirty-minute drive at around 10 am. I packed lightly for it is more of leisurely walk with some light elevation gains depending on the trails you pick. I got there, payed for my pass, and walked along the sky meadows loop trail. There were multiple cars parked along the visitor center but on the trail, I only saw one or two people pass me by. The trail connected to many other trails which I ventured on. The time spent under the trees and hearing nothing, but nature left me with a feeling of pure bliss. The only type of bliss one can contains when everything is at peace around them and that’s exactly where I was. I walked along overgrown parts, muddy parts, and well-maintained parts but everything felt like a straight walk. Nothing seemed to bother me or make me second guess myself. I was just breathing in the fresh air and taking nature in without any disruption. The feeling of isolation helped as well, for it was only me walking through these pastures, fields, and forests.
On Saturday I worked at 9 in the morning until around 2. I had plans to go to a concert later, so I decided to take a quick nap after work. Before the nap, I went on my phone and began my journey through the meadows of the Internet. First, I always put in my headphones and put Spotify on. In anticipation of the concert, I began listening to the opener band which I didn’t know much about. Decided I enjoyed them enough to keep listening and then went on to explore Reddit. Reddit in my opinion is a great way to kill time and keep yourself entertained. I browsed the front page which included funny videos about dogs/cats, politics, and random people doing random stuff. After about thirty minutes of this, I transitioned into the YouTube rabbit hole. I always like to know what I am getting myself into before concerts, so I spent about 20 minutes watching videos of King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard live in anticipation for the concert. This got me very excited and eager for my upcoming night. During the last 10 minutes before my nap, I browsed all my social media which include Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Like all the other times when I browse social media, I learned nothing of importance beside some funny memes and what people I don’t talk to anymore are doing with their lives. I closed my eyes and went to sleep.
The experiences I had in those two “trips” left me with two totally completely different mindsets. The day where I walked through Sky Meadows State park was a day which left me feeling almost euphoric. I get rather stressed out in my day to day, but nature always takes away my worries. Nature to me is a canvas painted with innocence and raw beauty which is so hard to come by in daily life. Everything is plagued with some hidden intention but with nature, you are seeing what you see. The trees, the animals, the plants, and isolation from everything leave me with such a feeling of content and wholesomeness. It’s very hard to capture in words. With the hour spent on the Internet, my mind always feels muddled with all the useless information I just received. I feel like it’s mostly social media but I like to keep up with my friends and acquaintances I do not really speak to that often anymore so I continue to use them even though it would probably be healthier to just delete them. I also really love music, so listening to music always puts me at ease. That is one of the biggest things I took away was how much music plays apart with my mindset. All my activities involve me listening to music one way or another. Depending on my mood or activity, I will listen to different artists and genres. It really helps me find ease within the busyness of school and work which is really important for a well-maintained mental state. Finally, I learned the kind of situation I was getting myself into before the concert, so I knew how it was going to be. This made the concert more fun and enjoyable because I knew the type of energy that the concert was going to be, so I was more mentally prepared.