As a college student I’m always on the run. I always have things to do. I always have places to be. When I have free time, I spend it studying or researching internships and job positions. Its stressful. I get bombarded with emails, text messages, and phone calls. The idea of sitting and being in the present moment sounds pleasant. It’d be nice not having to not think about what I supposed to be doing later.
I decided to sit in at my desk that’s squeezed into a walk-in closet in my apartment. It’s where I often study or read. I put my computer away and my cell phone in a drawer. It was just me in the room alone. I sat for about a half an hour. Which was longer than I thought I’d be able to. During this time the room came alive.
Sights- I never really look around my closet, I almost always have my eyes glued to a screen of some sort. But during this time, I noticed all of the dings and scratches in my desk and tried to remember what caused them. I could see where my closet was in regard to the building. It’s on the other side of the wall of the door to the stairs. The lights I put up over my desk were slightly crooked. I got a chance to look at all the pictures and letters I put on the wall of my family and friends which I don’t look at enough. It reminded me of my older brother and how he lived in the same apartment building about 6 years ago.
Smells- I never sit and consciously take in the surrounding in my office closet. But during this exercise I noticed that it smells heavily of wood. My desk is rather old and the wood smells like an antique store. A mix of dry and sweet. It’s something I haven’t noticed since I bought the desk.
Sounds- While sitting in my closet it was dead silent except the low hum of a box fan in the next room over. As well as the sound of a heavy door being occasionally opened; the closet shares a wall with the stairway right by the door. I could even hear myself breath, which sounds strange, but it was actually hard to miss.
Feelings- At first, I felt stressed about the exam I had the next day. Stressed about the homework and laundry I had yet to finish. After sitting and excepting that I wasn’t going to do anything for a period of time the stress went away and as corny as it sounds a kind of peace fell over me. I allowed my thoughts to wander wherever they pleased. Overall it was a very relaxing experience.
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