A Garden of Thought

Having been at Penn State for over a month now, I have become incredibly accustomed to speed walking, rushing from class to class, and dodging bikers and other students roaming around campus. Homework and exams have been piling up, so the field trip to the Arboretum last Monday was a nice break from the constant busyness that encompasses my life as a college student. It was my first trip to the H.O. Botanical Gardens and will most definitely not be my last. Upon seeing the first bunch of flowers, I was mesmerized. I felt a sense of tranquility flowing through me as a wandered the gardens with a few of my classmates. The garden gave me a sense of peace and it was refreshing to experience the nature and sun since the main source of sunlight I usually receive is through my dorm window waking me up at 8am.

Many of the flowers were rich in color; there were purples, yellows, corals, and whites. There was a patch of red peppers that caught my eye because they seemed out of place in the sea of flowers. I wondered if they were edible, and if they were, would they be Spicy? Flavorful? Bland?

 

As I continued down the path of the garden, I came across a trellis of large, green leaves with a simple brown bench sitting in the middle. I was taken aback by the simplicity and romance of this structure. My cheesy girly-girl side was revealed when I mentioned to my classmates that I dreamt of being proposed to in a place like this. This place was magical. I walked under the canopy and looked up to find green gourds hanging from the roof of the trellis. I laughed at this because I thought it brought a sense of humor to such a romantic, calm place.

The garden offered many different types of plants and trees, but overall I think I loved this place so much because of the feeling I had while walking through the garden. It was so peaceful and I enjoyed stepping away from my busy life on campus to explore a place that I probably would never have if it weren’t for Ms. S! I was especially fond of the benches placed in corners of pathways because I could see myself perched for hours just drinking a cup of tea and thinking. Simply thinking. The arboretum is a place where people can go to just think. About life, flowers, school, pretty much anything. At the beginning of the trip, I walked around with classmates, commenting on various aspects of the garden, but towards the end of my stay, I realized I wanted to roam the garden alone next time I visit.

I usually don’t enjoy waking up on Monday mornings after a long football weekend, however, a trip to the arboretum made it little more bearable. I look forward to returning to this wonderful place in the future!