Media Consumption:
I sit at my desk and boot up my computer, frustrated with the overall day and looking for an excuse to not think about things. There’s a red spiral icon at the top left of my desktop- I click it and wait as the archaic graphics of ‘Wizards 101’ manifest on my screen. This was a game I played when I was a kid, where you essentially roleplay as a wizard student and complete a series of quests. There’s a soft glow of comfortable nostalgia that clouds my brain. As I move around the world, I’m dueling sentient skeletons and fellow players (who I’m 90% sure are all under the age of twelve). I walk into a red sparkle that gives me extra health. I acquire a magical pet and amble along the cobblestone roads. I feel like I’m in my element with this game. I have chronic depression, and I read once that many people experiencing depression tend to turn to familiar things for comfort. I think about this as I play. By the time I log out, it’s time to make dinner. Onto the next task…
Naturalistic Environment:
It’s time to walk the dog. My partner and I head out the door and down the stairs. We do the same walk every night at around 8:30. The sky is darker than it has been all summer at this time. There’s but a wisp of sunset lingering on the horizon, soon extinguished by the blanket of night. I turn the flashlight on its highest setting, partially to look out for other dogs and mostly so I can find frogs (even though this makes me a bit of a hindrance to the dog-walking process). During the summer, there are TONS of frogs out at night. We live next to a forest with several trails, so every year a new frog army is built for me to appreciate. My boyfriend and dog wait patiently for me to usher the frogs off the sidewalk, so they don’t get stepped on. Various bug sounds ring in my ears. We hear foxes screeching and rustling around underneath the canopy of leaves and bushes. Suddenly, our dog, “Buddha” starts doing what we like to call the “naughty prance.” When he has something he’s not supposed to or smells an interesting animal, he holds his head high and prances like a show pony. He’s well-trained, but the naughty prance is always a reason to keep our eyes sharp. I chuckle, wondering how Buddha can be so ridiculous and smart at the same time. Luckily, we make it home without a hitch.
Summary:
I really enjoyed this assignment. I always think that being assigned to “do something” is really effective in helping people learn, because you end up learning quite a bit about yourself along the way. I pretty much do a lot of the same things every day, but it was interesting to do all of it while being mindful of the assignment. I found myself wondering what my intentions were with every action and why I was doing it. It felt like I was a scientist observing and collecting data on myself. Regardless of what I do, whether it be consuming media or otherwise, I think I tend to live in the moment. I concentrate on what’s in front of me and try not to worry about the rest.