A Walk in the Park

-

 List of Details: 

- The sound of rushing water from the cascading waterfall transported me to the memories of family visits to Minnehaha Falls and the Arboretum where waterfalls also preside. 

- The shade from the trees dotting the notebook page with a speckled texture, adding color and vibrancy to the plain paper.  

- The pond is in the shape of an elephant permanently holding its ground in this garden, but full of life and ripples inside.

- The cool breeze flowing through my hair, reminding me that a change in time and weather is approaching. 

Objective Description:

It is a beautiful day in the Japanese garden with students and vistors strolling down the trails and and admiring the archicture. The trees that perimeter the garden are of all different colors, species, and sizes. They wave back and forth and side to side with the breeze of the wind. A few leaves even stray off of the tree and slowly descend to the ground. This is its final resting place before the winter snow will soon cover cover them all, leaving no evidence behind until the following spring.

Subjective Description:

As I watch the elephant-shaped pond, firm in its place and unmoving, my mind wanders from the encaptivating ripples from the koi fish, signaling the life inside of this seemingly inanimate pond. As I meditate, I recall how I found out that this pond was shaped as an elephant in the first place. After my first day at Normandale, my high school friend called me to ask how my day went. She told me she looked at my location and noticed the pond herself. At the time, this observation flew right over my head, and I simply said "Oh, cool". But as I think back before the same pond, my heart fills with appreciation that the people in my life truly do care about me, checking in through the smallest gestures. So now, this pond is not just "the koi fish pond in the Japanese Garden", it is a personal reminder to be grateful of the great things in my life. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Utopia Project

-
Image
Group: Sydnee Moe, Maria Sosa, Sophie Hall Utopia Project NY Times As the world’s climate worsens at alarming rates, our nations haven't been able to come up with a compromise in years. Some believe we should drop everything and prioritize reverting climate change and its deadly partner in crime: global warming. Meanwhile, others stand their ground in indifference and would much rather sweep this issue under the rug than deal with it head-on. Many also were upset that they had to fix the mistakes made by the United States and China, the two largest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions . You can't even count on your own two hands how many meetings each nation has had over this issue, and others branching off. One nation in particular, however, hasn't been as in the conversation, as they usually are. Canada tends to start the conversation and keep it flowing, but as of late, they've been quiet, inattentive, and lacking in participation and voting. On December 1st, 2...
Read more

Is my Smartphone Hurting Me?

-
There is no doubt that smartphones and social media have drastically changed the social scene for the late millennial and Gen-Z generations along with demonstrating significant technological advancements in the world. Whether or not these changes have been for the better or worse for impressionable children and teenagers is argued in Jean Twenge's "Have Smartphones destroyed a Generation" and "No, Smartphones are not Destroying a Generation" by Sarah Rose Cavanagh. Twenge warns of the negative psychological effects heavy smartphone use has on younger generations through the use of the example of 13-year-old Athena and statistical evidence to compare the social behaviors of teenagers throughout the years. In response, Cavanagh refutes the stats Twenge uses due to its "cherry-picking" bias and weak sources of information through correlations. She then provides evidence that smartphone use actually has as many benefits as harms to balance out the argument...
Read more

Station Eleven: Chapters 1 & 2

-
The novel opens with this epigraph from Czesław Miłosz. In what ways do you think this might connect with dystopian themes? The epigraph that opens the novel seems to be a nihilistic view of the world and its corruption, ending with "it is too much./There is too much world". In dystopian worlds, leaders believe that the only solution to world issues is through violent or tyrannical means. Perhaps in this novel, leaders in this world believe this as well, foreshadowing the events that will unfold.  Read the first two chapters of Station Eleven and respond. The novel opens not with the pandemic (in this case it will be called The Georgian Flu), but with a theatrical production as the lead actor keels over on stage. Why do you think this scene opens the novel and what is your impression so far of the central characters? In the second chapter, members of the crew meet at a bar. An ominous line ends the chapter. What do you want to know more about so far? While this is a very dark...
Read more