Cold Engine Starting

Preston LaFarge - UNT Anthropology Major

Today was the first day our class spent time observing our own Mandalas. Given my busy work week with school and jobs, having time to sit outside on a sunny day is rare treat. When tasked with observing our Mandalas I could not help but feel like a cold engine starting. My observations from the first minuets are lethargic and distracted. But as I began to settle into a pattern of observation the whole Mandala came to life. 

There is a certain pleasure that comes from noticing something new when revisiting an area. When I first looked at two tree species in my mandala, the eastern redbud and the wild plum, I had written down that there is “not much change in the trees.” It was not until I had noticed new growth on adjacent trees that I went back and looked at the first set of trees, and sure enough I noticed similar new growth. The growth pattern of the two trees were interesting. The plum seemed to have new growth coming from the tips of older branches with little bud points whereas the redbud had long, new branch growth coming from the ground in addition to older branches. I can remember redbuds typically flowering the earliest of most native species in the region.   

It makes me wonder how much I have overlooked because I did not give something a second glance. 

I had a similar feeling of pleasure when I observed a community of plants that I thought was only made up of henbit. But upon closer inspection I found 3 or 4 additional species growing between the henbit and other plants. From larger species to smaller species there was an infinite amount of detail that I was not aware of until I acclimated myself to the Mandala.

The first day reminded me how much can actually be seen when one has the intention of observation.