Nature Essay

For my nature walk I decided to take the scenic route home from where I work on North Avenue and Sheffield. My walk took me down North Avenue, which is primarily a commercial district until you get closer to the park by the beach. From there, I then decided to walk along Clark back to my apartment on Dickens. I chose this route because the Kuo's finding stuck out to me between the two readings. Each reading provided a different approach towards interacting with nature. From Muir's reading, the reader observed a person who actively and intentionally participated with nature. Muir's emotions were produced through a conscious involvement with a wild natural setting. Though this was a very clear example of the idea "getting in touch with nature", I found the attitude of my walk to be more aligned with the findings in the Kuo article. Here, nature seems to affect people at a more subtle level. Green cover and a healthy balance of natural ambience provides a beneficial setting for humans. It was not so much that the people were taking in nature in the way that Muir did in the wilderness. Nature seemed to encourage a sense of security and benevolence among the housing residents.
The beginning of my walk was rather sparse in terms of nature. There are some trees on North Avenue, but these are the thin little ones that make one remember how out of place they seem next to the giant buildings. As I got closer to the beach, I also began to approach my neighborhood from last year. The area is farther east towards the lake and heavily covered with trees. The interesting thing about this neighborhood is that along with affluent homes in the area, there are several Section 8 housing buildings. Now, I found it ironic after reading Kuo's article how comfortable I had become in this area. A few minutes south on Sedgewick past Division, one will come across a sparse view of what remains of the Cabrini Green housing development. Looking a bit farther west, there are more empty lots along with another decrepit public housing building on Halsted. Naturally, the weed filled lots, abused buildings, and open space does not make me feel comfortable at all, but it is not like my old neighborhood was perfect either. While I was living there, three robberies occurred right next door to me, and there was a CPD blue light district a block away from my apartment. Yet, simply because my neighborhood had more tree canopy than a few blocks over, I felt ten times more comfortable.
Now on my way home along Clark by the park, I witnessed plenty of nature. There were fully grown trees, a fresh breeze from the lake, and pigeons that seem to have no fear of me as I approach them. The one thing that I really took notice of was the level of sound. The quiet peace really was a nice break from the constant progression of cars and buses. These are things I take for granted really when I am in nature, but they subconsciously create this sense of comfort for me when I am out there. What really got me thinking were the activities people did out in nature. Though it is a thing we all take for granted, nature provides a sense of refreshment (at least in my opinion). People read, run, lounge, and even do yoga at the park when they could probably do all these things inside with a lot more privacy. When I'm outside from day to day, however, activities become much more worthwhile than if I did it in the comfort of my home. It is not like in the Muir reading where I find myself actively taking in nature. It is more so like Kuo's article, where having a natural setting influences me to have a positive attitude in what I am doing. Now, can I say I intentionally consider nature on a day to day basis? To be honest, I do not think so. For the most part, my day to day interaction with nature is what I already described. A brief acknowledgment in the weather or how pleasant it is outside, and I move on with what I need to do, while enjoying a sense of comfort generated from natural surroundings.