Encountering Nature, Reflecting on Life

On Friday night, March 25, I received the privilege of attending a presentation on the Hillsborough River given by Professor Laura Runge.  She visited five different spots on the river over a period of 13 months, visiting each spot once per month.  She then wrote an essay after each monthly visit.  Last night, she read to us the essay on her November visit.

I learned that the Hillsborough River provides most of the drinking water for Tampa, thus it is important to take good care of it.  I also learned that it was named after a British governor.  On this trip in November, she took her son, Spencer.  It provided good bonding time, yes, but she took him for his incredible eyesight and curiosity for nature.  On this trip, Spencer seemed excited seeing the wildlife and doing the things that his mother did.

One thing that primarily stuck out to me was the conversation between Professor Runge and her son about life.  This conversation was initiated by Spencer when he asked his mother, “Does it seem like forever?”  He was asking about her forty-four years of age.  He then stated that his eleven years of age seemed like forever.  This conversation caught my attention because God is the creator.  God created life and he created nature and I believe that since Professor Runge and Spencer were taking in nature, it caused him to reflect on life and the beauty that it beholds.  After all, nature is streaming with abundant life and beauty that shows God’s creativity at its’ finest.

Nature is a gift from God.  As a gift, we need to take care of it and protect it.  I believe that “green” is a good thing.  I’m not an extremist or as the world defines it as “tree hugger,” but I believe doing the little things that count are important, such as recycling, turning lights off in a room that isn’t being used, unplugging power chords that aren’t in use, and many other things.  Doing the little things is what makes a big difference.  Attending the presentation broadened my understanding of the beauty and significance of nature.  I must admit my intentions for attending the presentation were solely to receive extra credit, but I did get something out of it.  So kudos to Professor Runge for grabbing the attention of a young man whose mind was elsewhere.  I benefited.  Also, I believe that the presentation has served as a good transition for the time we are going to spend on learning about nature in Intro to Literature.