As I finish up this blog post, my friends are scurrying to pack their bags, load up the cars and set out for The Great Unknown (well, the campsites of Lake Bryan, if we're being honest here). We're taking a few days to "get away from it all;" we're ditching the turmoil of the big city we call College Station and shacking up in the woods to rest and reset.
We certainly aren't the first batch of kids to look to nature for stress-relief and inner restoration. This Romantic notion has influenced many artists, writers and thinkers who also needed a break from the commotion we tend to create in our everyday lives.
But as we go brawling through the backwoods, I can't help but reflect on the ways that nature has been brought into the limelight of contemporary culture, as well. It seems as if modern TV is turning back to its roots and discovering its rougher side. Redneck Couture has caught on like wildfire; shows like "Duck Dynasty" and Jeff Foxworthy's "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" showcase all the fun to be had in our own backyards, with our own power tools and fireworks.
This homegrown, good-ol'-boy upsurge thumbs its nose at the likes of Kim Kardashian and her clones; however, we still see this culture manifesting itself in the same consumable ways that other television fads have. Trucker hats proudly emblazoned with "John Deere," rhinestone-studded cowboy boots, flashy rims on pick-up trucks - although blue collar may claim to be different, it cannot escape becoming commercialized.
We're headed to the woods to remind ourselves that we don't need fur-lined tents to keep out the cold winter winds (although, hey, that does sound pretty nice). Flashlights from The Dollar Store will shine just as brightly, and you definitely don't need a gilded lighter to set things on fire.
What do you guys do to get away from it all and unwind? And, if I'm not back in class next week, can you make sure my friends and I haven't been eaten by bears?
I think a lot of people tend to adventure into nature to "get away from it all". I know for me personally that nature is the only way I can get out of this crazy, school-centered mindset and just be able to breath. Although back home I'd be out at the barn sitting in a stall or on a fence overlooking the fields of horses, sometimes just sitting at a bench in a park overlooking a pond or driving down Luther street and seeing the horses in the field will just have to do because that's all I can get. I agree you see this escape to nature over and over again in books and I think it's because that's really the only play to separate the craziness of the real world from your own thoughts, and I hope that it never dies because I know I will continue to seek out a horse in a field or a bench by a lake.
ReplyDeleteJust this morning, when I woke up to this gorgeous, 80 degree weather, I knew that I had to be outside. I drove to a park with my school work, and sat by a pond for a couple of hours, reading. Actually, I think I got more work done there than I usually do in the library because there weren't any distractions. I hope that we always have places like this to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
ReplyDeleteI all I could do was remember the warm sun beaming onto my skin during the break as I read this post. I feel the most in tune with myself and the Universe after I spend a good deal of time out in nature away from it all. On another note, I like the diction in your post, the words such as "Redneck Couture" and "good-ol'-boy".
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