My Extended Experience

During the drive to Benbrook Lake, we started talking about all the things we have yet to do in Fort Worth. My go-to excuse for not checking these things off of my bucket list is always that I don’t have time. The truth is that I don’t make the time. I find that I am so busy focusing on what needs to be done tomorrow that I never fully appreciate the present day. Wordsworth claims that we are “out of tune with nature,” and I would have to agree. I feel that as we get older, we lose touch with not only the natural world but also the present moment. When we are younger, we are not afraid to go outside and play in the mud. We don’t hesitate to jump in a puddle or climb a tree. Why is that? I think that when we are children, we don’t think about the consequences of our actions. While this can obviously lead to some negative outcomes, it also results in positive ones. When we are little, we don’t think about how uncomfortable it is going to be to walk home in our wet clothes after splashing in that puddle or how much it is going to hurt if we accidentally fall from the tree. Instead, we just do, and in doing, we truly live. I think it is unfair to refer to this type of behavior as “childish” just because it is something that we completely lose sight of as adults. As our worlds become filled with endless responsibilities, we not only lose this innocent connection with nature but also our conception of it as something mystical and magical. My childhood was filled with playing outside. My brothers and I would entertain ourselves for hours on end making up storylines and pretending to have magical powers. Being in nature not only gives us the opportunity to completely live in the moment, but it also fosters creativity – I think this can only happen when we are not burdened with the intrusive thoughts of what needs to be done. 

Benbrook Lake, Fort Worth, TX

After we set our canoes out into the water and got the hang of paddling, I noticed how we were the only ones in the lake. I couldn’t believe that there weren’t more people out here. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I guess they, too, said there was not enough time in their day to come out here. They, too, were too busy focusing on tomorrow. We slowly made our way across the lake and turned towards the west to watch the sunset. Although the trees blocked the view of the sun dipping under the horizon, the contrast of the oranges and yellows against the darkness of the water was truly stunning. I felt small. When I looked across the water, the lake seemed much bigger, almost like we were in the middle of the ocean, except the water was as still as glass.

As the light from the sun began to disappear, the stars slowly started to reveal themselves in the sky, peaking into view one by one. I have never seen a shooting star, and I have always been envious of those who have (which seems to be every other person in the world). Looking up at the stars, I was amazed at the ways in which they differed in size and brightness. Again, I began to feel small. While looking into the distance at Jupiter, I realized that I have never seen a shooting star because I have never taken the time to look for one.

As we loaded the canoes back into the truck, I noticed that during the past few hours I did not once think about what I had to do tomorrow. I did not feel guilty for spending this time for myself. Normally, I would avoid these types of excursions because “I don’t have time,” which I now realize is not a real excuse for anything. I think that spending time outside needs to be prioritized just as highly as some of the other responsibilities in our lives. If we can learn to reclaim our childish ways, we might just be able to be more present in our everyday lives. 

In Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” we see the connection that nature bridges between the mundane and the extraordinary. Even when we are doing something as uninspiring as sitting on the couch, we can be brought to a more magical place simply through the power of imagination. Spending time in nature allows us to create these comforting memories that can be accessed at any time, especially during times when the world seems too overwhelming. This paddling excursion made me feel like a kid again. I wasn’t worried about getting a little wet or getting a few mosquito bites. I felt fully engaged in the present moment, and I hope to take this feeling with me in my everyday life because I do not want to look back on these points in time wishing I had appreciated them more in the moment. You truly don’t know a good thing until it is gone, so don’t let it go.