Phew! It has been quite the day. This blustery, rainy day began with an early morning mammogram (just routine). I love the mammographer at our local Kaiser–that woman is efficient! I was in and out before my official appointment time and arrived at the university at my usual time. Thursday is my work with adults day–and there was much to accomplish today. But right in the middle of a meeting this morning the fire alarm went off in our building. Ugh! For someone who is only there one day a week, I have had more than my share of fire alarm evacuations in the last couple of months! So after milling around in the chilly windiness around our building (no rain at this time), we got the all clear from the firemen and were able to head back in to resume our work.

I struggle a bit with an office day. My usual work is wrangling first graders–which means that I seldom sit. Instead I am constantly moving, crouching, leaning in, keeping life in the classroom on an even keel. On my office days with too much sitting, I feel called to head outside and walk the campus just to keep my head clear and my body in motion. I think so much better on my feet! So after some work, I bundled up and headed down the stairs for that much-needed walk!

UCSD is a beautiful campus with a very special feature: The Stuart Collection. The Stuart Collection is public outdoor art installations located throughout the campus. I often walk by Nikki de Saint Phall’s Sun God, the Snake Path that leads up to the iconic Geisel Library, and stop to photograph Fallen Star, a house perched atop the engineering building. But today I felt pulled to go in search of the Red Shoe. I headed in the direction I thought I would find it, enjoying the smell and color of the purple black sage in bloom along the way. As I got closer, I pulled out the navigation on my phone and found myself wandering through the Theatre District and into a stand of eucalyptus trees. The trees called me closer until I glimpsed the bright red of the sculpture of an enormous red, high-heeled shoe.

As I headed back to the office I remembered that the Sound Garden was nearby so I made a short detour and soon heard the music of the wind through the trees. Here’s how it was described in an article about the installation.

Thirty-two eucalyptus trees have been fitted with motion and light sensors that translate varying forces of wind and changing light patterns into sound instantaneously using sophisticated software. Speakers high in the canopy above project the sound, louder during strong gusts and sunny, summer weather; while subwoofers at ground level emanate more subtle, deep tones as darkness descends and winter prevails.

I stood and listened, feeling the wind on my cheeks and my ears filled with the symphony of a eucalyptus grove in full and beautiful voice. Calmness settled over me, I took a few photos and then made my way back to the office feeling refreshed and ready for work.

I wish I could say that the rest of the day proceeded without a glitch and that I was productive and settled. Unfortunately, in the midst of a working session on Zoom, the UCSD wifi failed, cutting off my video conference, dropping my connection on the Google slide deck we were working on and I was forced to use my phone to complete the meeting as a phone call…and to head home afterward to have internet access to get my work done!

In spite of the fire alarm and the wifi failure, my walk was uplifting and energizing. It is probably why I ended my day feeling productive in spite of losing so much work time! Note to self: take more time to listen to trees!