Sam's Nature Writing Blog

Throughout our area within North Texas, we don’t often see any sort of mountainous landforms or any thing with real elevation for that matter. The flat plains of our surrounding area are pretty common and provides little variety. Usually, I never even think twice about it in my day to day routine and observations. However, I had the opportunity to visit Fayetteville, Arkansas over the past weekend and truly see what a variety in landscape actually looks like. The rolling hills and mountains of Devils Den provide some perspective into what we’re missing. Hiking through the park I felt quite small in comparison to the scenery all around me, not to mention out of shape as well. Hiking and walking around the trails allow me to have a change in perspective which is often needed. I sometimes get so consumed with what is directly in front of me that I miss the view of the bigger picture. By attempting to conquer the task that is in my direct focus, I often forget to enjoy those around me and...

I thoroughly enjoyed listening and discussing the music variety in class. Initially, I hadn’t thought about music being a way to express one’s connectivity to their surrounding environment, but it makes perfect sense. I found myself singing along to a couple of the songs in my head and realizing that the tunes I had been listening to all these years really did have a subliminal message behind them. The power of music to create social impact should not be taken lightly. I thought the irony of the Beach Boys singing a song about avoiding the water was quite ironic as well. The juxtaposition of their iconic name and the nature of the song was an interesting contrast. Additionally, I had heard the song “Big Yellow Taxi” many times but had never really reflected on the opening stanza. “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” offers such a depth to it that I had never considered before. Physically creating a paradise complete with concrete and an overcrowded parking lot is almost an ...

Sam LaCoste 8/29/2019 My neighbor's tree has see much more than I have in my short time here. It's held the children close as they play day in and day out, constantly pulling at everything it has to give. It does not wince as the children slowly etch their temporary feelings and thoughts into its only stern trunk. It has seen my roommates and I flounce in and out of the house everyday without ever giving a thought to the shade it provides. The tree is a constant in my life that I seldom notice on a day to day basis. Its sprawling roots provide stability and connection for the surrounding community, often fostering discussion and relationship amongst neighbors. You can almost hear the tree inserting itself into fruitful discussion amongst friends through the calming rustle of the leaves.