Deac families, today I spent about 1/2 hour up on the Quad.  I want you to experience it as I did.  Here goes:

You see…

  • Four young men playing ping pong in front of Reynolda.  Then you see the occasional sprint as one of them gets a ball that strayed off the table.
  • Piles of pink cherry blossom blooms that are down from the trees.  When the wind blows, you see the ones on the ground blow farther along the brick, and with big gusts you see blooms detaching from the trees and floating through the air like a pink snow.
  • People eating at the cafe tables outside of Subway and outside of Reynolda.
  • Visitors taking pictures of the Chapel from the midpoint of the Quad.
  • Tons of orange tulips poking high from the flowerbeds outside of Reynolda.
  • A table near the arch with a young brown dog tied to it.  In front of the dog, a young man sits on a skateboard and rolls back and forth in front of the dog, which confuses him and makes him bark.
  • People walking to their next destination – students in shorts and tshirts (with the occasional student in a suit who is clearly heading to an interview), administrators going to meetings or lunches, an administrative assistant carrying a huge plant to her car, likely a gift for Administrative Professionals Day.

You hear…

  • Chinese being spoken by a group of students.
  • The click-click of the ping pong ball as it hits the table.
  • Snippets of conversations; some with real people walking by, some just via cellphone.
  • The brown dog barking at Skateboard Guy.
  • Birds chirping.
  • A lawnmower in the distance.  As time passes, the sound gets closer and closer.

You feel…

  • A cool, gentle, breeze.  It picks up and then ebbs off as you sit there.
  • Warm sun or cool shade, depending on which cafe chair you chose.
  • A sense of peace.  It is beautiful, calm, and quiet.
  • Childish delight when the wind gusts and you get the snow of pink flowers.  It looks like something magical.
  • Falling flowers gentle landing on your arm or leg or in your hair.
  • Physically you feel very comfortable.  These cafe chairs are great seats.  You could sit here a long time before you’d want to move.

You smell…

  • Fried food on the breeze.  Not sure if it is coming from the direction of the Pit or if it is being vented from the food court of Benson.
  • Fresh, clean air.  There is not a hint of Winston Salem’s famous tobacco smell today.

You taste…

  • The food or drink you brought to the table.

 

That’s 12:30 on a Wednesday, Deac families.  Hope you enjoyed it.

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