I meant to post about my last two wonder walks long ago, but inevitably life tends to get in the way! Nevertheless, the Wonder Walks have continued to inspire me!
My last two wonder walks were totally unplanned–meaning, I did not set out with the intention that these walks would be my wonder walk of the week (which made it even better!).
The first of my walks actually occurred in an incredibly UNNATURAL location–the downtown shopping area. After finishing a mural for a local music recording studio, I decided to take a stroll around the area–and stumbled into some very interesting places. As I walked, I felt myself attuned to the sounds, smells, sites, and FEELS of the area. The air felt brisk, but not in an uncomfortable, windy way. After walking a block or two, a train passed through the area. It was as though time stood still, as the sound of the train seemed to cancel out everything around me. I could smell the greasy, smoky exhaust smell from the train, mixed with the gasoline from the cars on the street. While it was not as idealistic in its beauty as my beloved mountains, the concrete, brick, metal, and graffiti-painted areas of downtown held a beauty of their own–as though they were tangible records of a certain aspect of our human existence. Most striking to me was the fact that the natural world was still there–fighting back! Many graffiti-covered walls had begun to fade; young plants struggled to make a life in the cracks of sidewalks and buildings! All-in-all a lovely wonder walk.
(Excuse the shadow!)
My second walk occurred on a very cold day. I had walked to an art workshop for a staff development. This was one of those contrasting walks. On the way to the workshop, I noticed the ice patches on the roads and remaining on patches of grass–the way the ice seemed to be painted with the grime from the roads and texturized with the grass which it covered. The sky was a light gray color and the wind almost non-existent. That was on the way to the workshop. On my return wonder walk, I was pelted in the face with a frozen wind and small amounts of sleet. The sky had turned an angrier dark gray, and trees swayed violently, fighting against me no matter which direction I turned. The thing that I found most interesting about the walk back was how preoccupied my mind became. My eyes were fixed to the ground ahead of my feet, unable to focus on anything other than getting home to WARMTH as soon as possible. I still noticed the ice, but instead found myself thinking of it as nothing more than a hazard–it’s amazing how one’s perspective can shift so easily!
For this week’s Wonder Walk, I will be reintroducing the camera into the mix. However, I will still be taking ONE media-free Wonder Walk. My plan for this walk, is that I would like to take two separate walks, each on a different day. The first walk will be WITH my camera; the second, without. After the second walk, I will write about my experience. We’ll see how this little experiment goes!
Happy Artful Explorations!
Artful Explorations In Nature: 
