Entry 1- Nash and Frozen Silence
A weekend ago, Fort Worth endured its annual ice storm which invited me to reflect on our most recent class discussions. I chose the descriptor “ice” rather than “snow” because, as someone from northern New Hampshire, snowfall is measured in feet. Nevertheless, Fort Worth experienced dangerous conditions that kept the entire community inside, off the roads, and learning and working from home. Although I gladly welcomed the break from class and work, cabin fever set in quickly. Determined to shake the boredom and escape the confines of my apartment, I layered on warm sweaters and set out for a walk in the bitter cold.
I forcefully pushed open my apartment door, sealed by icy precipitation from the days prior, and immediately felt myself helplessly slide across the frozen doorstep. The descent from my stairs onto the sidewalk was no easier. As I finally steadied myself and began a cautious stroll around the neighborhood, I was struck by my surroundings. The typically crowded sidewalk full of bustling TCU students and faculty was vacant. The echo of chatty friends, phone calls home, and vehicle engines was silenced. It was almost unsettling to view such a different environment through the lense of our everyday reality. However, as time passed, I began to appreciate the silence and the peace that had been brought along with it.
I was able to see and appreciate my surroundings because our distractions had been removed from the environment. I have attached a few images of campus' most popular areas unusually empty. I couldn’t help but think of Nash and our class discussion about the civilization of nature. During ice week, it seemed as though the weather and nature had civilized all of us to an extent by disrupting our routines and revealing its beauty around us.
As I arrived back home from my walk, the beauty around me brought happiness and warmth amidst the frigid conditions. I began to wonder how different my appreciation of my surroundings would have been had I slipped on the ice and ended my walk early...
Loved the comment about snow versus ice. By Monday the kids in my neighborhood were doing their best to create icemen rather than snowmen. My early years I lived in PA, and we also got a lot of snow, which resulted in endless shoveling. Here as you state we usually have one annual winter storm. But I am hoping for more. Great photos. I thought the first was striking with the chapel steeple, the contrast of urban and natural. Your descriptions I thought were closely aligned with Abbey's in Desert Solitaire. Once we are unencumbered with the clatter and concerns of our everyday lives, we can discover that both emptiness and silence are overflowing with meaning and insight. in such moments of comparative isolation, nature makes us wonder who we are.
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