I know a picture paints a thousand words, but I’d like to describe a photo that I currently use as one of a few that rotate on the homepage header. This one is taken of the stream that flows through our downtown, with lots of lilacs in bloom on the edge, and the old OWU dance studio that is now the NYC Deli Mart in the background, plus Edgar Hall on the side.
Reconnecting to nature includes reconnecting to the land, and a first step in that process is simply claiming a sense of place, and, perhaps, coming to identify with it. Downtown Delaware (Ohio) is where I work; actually less than two blocks from that deli. Where I was standing to take the picture is on the bridge between the University Hall lawn and the Edgar Hall parking lot, on Ohio Wesleyan University campus, right beside Sarah Hahn’s new sculpture.
I work in the Corns building, across Sandusky Street from University Hall. So this spot, this and other views of the stream, are an easy walk from my office. While this tributary to the Olentangy River goes under Sandusky Street and the storefront on its west side, it flows through the open air and daylight beside Edgar, and the campus lawn, all the way down to Selby Stadium, where it feeds the mainstem river. Part of that connection to the land is knowing where our water comes from, and where it goes.
You can make out parts of three bridges in the picture. The first and most obvious is just a concrete conduit with barriers to keep people from walking across or climbing on it. The second is–or was–a walking / biking bridge, that leads to the south entrance of Edgar Hall. This was frequented by students, faculty, and staff, going to and from Fine Arts classes in the building. It’s been closed to traffic for almost a year now, and I’m not sure why. There are signs of erosion on the south bank, near the bridge. It’s likely closed out of concern for the condition of the bridge and the safety of pedestrians. I hope it gets repaired soon. However, if that’s the responsibility of the university, I wouldn’t expect it anytime soon. The last bridge, which you can just make out the handrail of, is the one supporting Sandusky Street, sidewalks on both sides, and the building with storefront and residences. I’m not as familiar with the stream on the other side, as it’s pretty well hidden from view. I once walked, with a group of others, under that bridge and up the stream for a couple blocks, all the way down to the post office and UDF, where it goes underground again for a couple blocks.
The lilacs remind me that spring will come again. (It’s winter now, and I had to shovel snow from our driveway today.) I live in a temperate zone, where, at least historically, we’ve had readily identifiable and predictable seasons. Not so much anymore. I live just over two miles from this scene, and I have a yard that also has a lilac bush. I know how nice lilac smells, and how bushy it can get, when you want it to stay in one spot and only grow so big. Nature wants to do its thing; we always want to keep it in check. There’s some necessity to that, as we’d perish if exposed to the elements for too long. However, in our reconnecting with nature, we can renegotiate relationships with the other life around us. As a species, we all must do this, if we humans are going to survive. This photo that I took of my home, helps me remember it, and encourages me to take care of it.
It’s a shot of a stream that we will never see again. (You can’t step into the same river twice, kind of like social media feeds.) The water is flowing towards the camera. Would you like a drink? There are bridges across it, that connect different sides, while covering something below. There is always traffic and transactions happening in front and around us all the time. There is also beauty and blossoming, in its time, as well as erosion and decline, also in their time. There is tradition and familiarity, as well as innovation and creativity. All this right here in our own yard, our own downtown, our own campus. It’s beautiful!