Finding My Quiet Place

     When deciding where to go for a quiet place, I drove to a small seminary on the edge of my neighborhood that has close to zero foot traffic and houses several covered bench areas. I have used one particular bench many times over the past few years when I needed to get away from the frantic aspects of life for a bit, so I knew this would be the perfect spot to use for this course. The bench and its enclosure are each made of beautifully aged wood and accented with foliage, and they overlook a quaint field of grass. Most of the area surrounding my personal quiet zone has been meticulously maintained by seminary officials which offers a clean view of nature, but my favorite bench's relatively secluded location at the edge of the campus has led to it becoming home to a wider variety of life than I get to see elsewhere around the property: in addition to the crickets, beetles, and dragonflies that are commonly found on the campus, this isolated refuge has also hosted blue jays, cardinals, salamanders, and even an armadillo during my visits. Most important, however, is the silence of the area since that will allow me to both face this course's novel ideas with clarity and better engage with the natural world around me.