By Samantha Dawkins
I love to spend my time a variety of ways, though especially inside during the winter. The wind is cold and harsh against my bright red cheeks, and I prefer to watch the violent graciousness of winter from the sanctity of my loft. A popular gaming stream is playing in the background when I ask my partner if he’d like to play Stardew Valley with me for an hour. It’s my favorite game, with a plethora of things to solve and discover while consciously participating in the monotony of maintaining a virtual farm. Of course my partner says yes, and I start up our game. We live on a plot of land we’ve deemed ‘Lover’s Farm’ where we grow seasonal produce, maintain our livestock for milk and eggs which eventually turn into cheese and mayo, and produce a wide variety of jams and wines. It’s an NPC’s (non-playable character) birthday, so I make them their favorite meal and ride my horse across town to gift it them in order to increase our friendship level. During this journey I visit an abandoned vineyard on the edge of the forest which houses a small mystical creature called a Junimo—his name is Apples. I bring him a starfruit, his favorite, but not because I think I’ll gain something this time, solely because I find him the cutest creature in the game, and I cherish him. Maybe more than my virtual children. My one-hour alarm dings and I realize how quickly an hour can fly by. While there is nothing as unique fully immersing yourself into a particular media, I realize how bad my back hurts…and my neck. I’ve been in the same position for an hour, slumped over my laptop.
I stand up and stretch my body to feel a little relief. I slip on some socks and shoes and then my hefty winter coat. Its probably not that cold outside but it definitely feels like it. I’m walking around my neighborhood, admiring the beautiful landscape when I see a small brown rabbit staring back at me. I’ve always been fascinated with wildlife—I used to collect empty birds nests and bee/wasp nests. I don’t particularly want to interact with them (for their sake, not my own), I just love to admire, so I took a seat on a nearby curb and watched the world play out. A group of squirrels came running into the picture, hopping around the snow patched grass. Squirrels have sharp eyes, and one spotted me watching, standing up on its hind legs to get a better look. I must’ve looked pretty boring and harmless as it quickly went back to play. The squirrels spooked the rabbit who eventually ran into a nearby bush and was quickly replaced by a pileated woodpecker, whose bright red head stood out among the dull colors of winter. I watched for a little longer, until the cold started to sting my nose, and then I began my walk home. My one-hour alarm went off just as I turned onto my street, so I hurried back to my warm retreat.
Though I don’t feel I’ve learned much through this experience, it did remind me why I love nature so much, and why it is such an important thing in my life. I’ve made lifestyle decisions and academic/career choices solely based on my love for the environment, and I think sometimes its easy to lose sight of what past me loved so much she bet her future on it. I feel that both aspects of my life, natural and mediated, are important as they work and assist my brain in different ways.