Cole Parker's Blog

Today, I ventured out to visit the Fort Worth Water Gardens with my group. Previously, I had visited the gardens a number of times in the past serving as a frog camp director in 2022. I remembered the gardens as a peaceful place to talk with campers about their goals and aspirations for college.   When I returned to the gardens today, I was amazed at how much I learned. I found that there are “over 500 species of plants and trees” surrounding the park. I had always enjoyed the garden’s nature, but I never understood the magnitude of biodiversity present within the park's walls. I found it interesting to learn about the reasoning behind many of the architects' decisions on building the park. It seemed that the overarching goal was to help people escape from the busy commotion of the outside world.  There are three pools in the gardens designed to immerse people in different microenvironments. Personally, I thought the “Quiet Pool” was the most interesting. The architects c...

Sunsets are some of the most breathtaking sights we can witness as humans. The bright warm colors that fill the sky are unique each and every night.  On November 5th, I was driving back to TCU from the airport when I gazed upon one of the best sunsets I had ever seen. I was blessed to gaze upon a blanket of yellows and oranges stretching across the sky. The cloud cover above was inflamed by the light shining from behind. It was spectacular to witness, considering the city of Fort Worth was directly below. As the sun continued to fall, it created the illusion that the city was in flames. It also produced a beautiful view of the warm colors kissing off of the tall skyscrapers of downtown Fort Worth.  I believe watching the sunset has many health benefits. Not only is it visually aesthetic and beautiful, but it also slows everything down and reduces stress. Exposure to the natural light offers a unique way to embrace nature and the miracle of planet Earth. The feeling of amazemen...

Looking back on my childhood, I often took for granted the beautiful beaches and canyons that surrounded my neighborhood in San Diego. One of these places is the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. The reserve is home to a diverse array of birds, plants, and wildlife that stretch along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. However, the reserve is most notable for its preservation of the ‘Torrey Pine’, which is a rare species of pine tree facing endangerment. I find it fascinating that this type of pine is only preserved in Southern California, so it always brings a sense of comfort when I return home to see it.  The reserve is especially meaningful to my life and hometown memories. I remember my family and I hiking the reserve’s trails to disconnect from technology. Whereas originally I viewed the hikes as a chore, I quickly learned to appreciate their peaceful nature. I also remember training for football along the warm sandy beaches. Practicing outside of the gym pushed me to work ...

Mary Oliver’s poem “Don’t Hesitate” caught my eye because I believe it has a valuable lesson many people often forget. It might seem obvious, but living in the moment and appreciating the joyful moments in life is an extremely important skill to have when gauging overall happiness. For example, when I was on Thanksgiving break, I took this lesson to heart by enjoying the time with my family rather than giving in to the negative external distractions around me. Whenever I had feelings of joy, I embraced them. I did not give in to the distractions of social media, unnecessary work, or the negative news headlined on TV. Mary Oliver’s poem “Don’t Hesitate” touches on these themes well from the beginning.  “If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be” This quote emphasizes the need to “give in to” joy. With all the outside noise and unhappiness in the world, people need to remind themselves ...

The poem “When Death Comes” by Mary Oliver is a powerful piece that touches on the meaning of life and how death should be embraced. As someone who recently lost a friend, this poem helped me understand that death should not be feared and that it is merely just another chapter in our existence as humans.  Mary Oliver starts off by comparing death to a grizzly bear and smallpox. She does so in a way that downplays death's significance and highlights its inevitability. I found it interesting that she repeats the same phrases such as “when death comes” multiple times throughout the poem to reinforce her message. Later in the poem, she touches on the way people should embrace death. Rather than living life frightened of death’s arrival, Mary suggests we be curious about death.    “I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:  What is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?”  I find it ironic that she compares death to a “ cottage of darkness”...

In my opinion, one of the best ways to observe nature is from 35,000 feet above sea level. The ability to fly on an airplane provides people with the chance to experience nature from a different perspective. This is why I always enjoy sitting in the window seat, in order to gaze out upon the Earth around me. For this reason, when I was looking through Mary Oliver’s poems, I was intrigued when I saw the poem “Night Flight”. I was shocked to find this poem doesn’t revolve around Mary Oliver’s direct interaction with nature, but rather with her simply riding on an aircraft.  The first stanza reads:  “Traveling at thirty thousand feet, we see  How much of earth still lies in wilderness,  Till terminals occur like miracles To civilize the paralyzing dark.” After reading this first stanza, I remembered how easy it is to forget about the vast amount of land untouched by human civilization. I recalled the teachings of Edward Abbey and David Thoreau on the importance of prese...