Monday, February 4, 2013

Ecobiography

So, we had to write an ecobiography for my "Ecopsychology, Art, and Meditation" class. Here it is:



Ecobiography: Are You There Mother Nature? It’s me, Darla.
            I was born in the city. On August 28th, 1967, I entered the world in a hospital overlooking a statue of Sam Houston—my city’s namesake.  Houston, Texas was going through changes in the late 1960’s so after the Texas Southern University riots, my parents moved to the suburbs when I was only two years old.
            My mother was a native Houstonian, but my father grew up in farm country. Sagerton, Texas is a small town located near the Oklahoma border. My grandparents were farmers until the Dust Bowl swept over West Texas. After battling the dust for a few years, they finally packed up and headed to Houston. Along the way, their car broke down and my grandfather worked on a farm in Orange until he could afford to repair his car.
            Even when they arrived in Houston, they still kept their connection to the land. Most people wouldn’t believe it, but the most gentrified part of Houston used to be full of small farms complete with chickens, cows, and pigs. Now where $800,000 condominiums stand, my grandparents bought a house with a garden and cow. For my father though, farming was a symbol of the poverty that he wanted to escape. When he became successful, he headed out to the suburbs with its cultured lawns and rose bushes. Yet, he couldn’t escape nature. To this day, we have the most amazing front and back yard on the block. When we moved to our current house, he was thrilled to have a completely empty backyard to use as his palette.
            As a child, I grew up in a neighborhood full of boys so, when I wasn’t reading, I spent lots of time exploring, riding my bike, and building forts. One of our neighbors had a really long driveway which he let us ride our bikes on and use it as a cut through to the vacant lot behind his house. We used to build houses with dead wood and pine needles on that lot. It had a nice deep ditch which was perfect for bicycle acrobatics. I was in high school when they finally built a house on the lot and I was so upset when they uprooted all the old trees to make room for a tract home.
            Two of my most sacred spots were the spaces under our oak trees. We had a White Oak in the backyard where I spent hours playing, swinging, and climbing. It had huge roots what made a perfect spot to sit and read for hours. I felt like that tree was my friend. I was so unhappy when it died. My parents tried everything to save it but disease overtook it when I was in middle school.
            A similar fate befell the oak tree in our front yard. It was on the property line between our house and our neighbor’s house. It was a witness to many arguments and important conversations with the neighbor boys. There were water fights and spirited games of hide and go seek. My sister would spread out a blanket under the tree and read to me. After she went off to college, I would do the same thing with the neighbor boys’ younger sister, Jenny. I was the youngest in our family so Jenny became my adopted baby sister.
            I had just returned from college in 1990 when a tornado pulled the ancient oak out of the ground and deposited it between our houses. The roots alone were twice my five feet, five inch height. An arborist figured that tree was over 200 years old. Again, I felt like I lost a member of my family.
            I think nature has always been there to soothe and heal me. From the trees in my yard to the birds that flock to our feeders, I take solace in nature. Over the past few years, I became disconnected from nature. I caged myself up inside my house and library. When I look back, some of my happiest times occurred when I was communing with nature. In 2006, I joined a marathon training group that had a group walk/run every Saturday morning. It was very early so I got to watch the sun rise while I was walking. I felt so calm and relaxed. It helped me make it through a stressful week. I realize now that I need to get that back. I need to watch the sun rise.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Birdsong

So one of my classes this semester is Ecopsychology, Art, and Meditation. Yes, that's one whole class. Part of the class is doing daily Place Bonding Meditations. You have to find a place outside and stare at it intently for 8-10 minutes. You aren't supposed to move. Just absorb everything around you.

I am not a nature person. When I was a kid, I did spend a lot of time outside. I grew up as the only girl in an all boys neighborhood so I spent a lot to time riding bikes, climbing trees, and making forts. When it came time to get my own bike, I didn't want a frilly pink one. I wanted a BMX bike. At the time, there were not BMX bikes for girls so my understanding parents let me get a boys bike. I've never understood the philosophy behind boys and girls bikes (I'm not talking about the color of the bikes but the position of the bar).

I think about the time I abandoned nature was around the time that my male friends quit being my friend. It really didn't bother me. I had books, Barbies, and my imagination to keep my company. I occasionally ventured outside when my dad wanted to play basketball or the neighbor ladies wanted to teach my tennis, but I never spent hours outside like I did when I was younger.

So now, I have to get back in touch with nature. Today, I stood and watched one of the birds in my backyard for my meditation. The tree it was perched on was still bare from the winter. It was about the same color as the tree and far away enough that I couldn't tell what kind of bird I was observing.

At first, the bird was quiet. It primped and fluffed. When it finally felt comfortable, it began to sing. At times, its song was beautiful. At times, its song was harsh. I felt like it was singing to me but that is just human arrogance. It didn't even fly away when I went back inside.

For the longest time, it sang by itself but after ten minutes or so, another bird joined in from afar. I decided to go back inside because I didn't want to eavesdrop on their conversation.