Five Senses of Benson Patio

In this Issue:

• The Five Senses of Benson Patio

Before we begin today, I want to acknowledge Eid al-Fitr for our Muslim students and families. The Chaplain’s office tells us that “This day marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the first day of the month of Shawwal. This is a day of celebration that begins with a special Eid prayer and involves day-long festivities involving food and sweets.” To all who are observing, may you and your family be blessed with health, wealth and happiness this Eid-al-Fitr. Eid Mubarak!

The Five Senses of Benson Patio

I was at work early yesterday helping my colleagues in the Office of Wellbeing set up for a marijuana education and misuse prevention table; their office provides intervention and support services, resources to individuals and groups, and empowers students to make healthy choices. As such, I had some time to observe, so I bring you the Five Senses of the Benson Patio early on a Thursday morning.

I see…

• Two guys walking away from where I am sitting. One of them is in an LA Dodgers hat (Mr. Daily Deac’s favorite team). They are talking about fireworks as they walked by, and one said “just think about it – you almost never see…” and then he was out of earshot.
• Two female students at separate tables in the Tribble courtyard. They both have laptops open. They appear to be studying. 
• One young woman eating her breakfast at the picnic tables under the tent on the Mag Quad. 
• There’s another female student on her phone having a conversation with somebody. Sometimes she’s walking around as she talks, other times she sits down.
• Another student sitting in the Adirondack chairs with a laptop open. She is typing something.
• A couple of female students walk by with posters. I’m not sure what that’s all about, but the posters appear to have either pictures or cut outs pasted on them. 
• Students walking by, earbuds in, looking at their phones. As time goes by, I woul say the ratio of students using earbuds vs external headphones is probably 3:1.
• The two students with the posters now sit down at a picnic table in the sun and they are getting out their laptops. It looks like they are starting to do some kind of work together?
• Individual students in ones and twos walking by. All have backpacks on. It’s still a little chilly out, so many of them have a hoodie on that they could remove later as it gets warmer outside. 
• A sweaty student, probably coming back from a workout either at the Wellbeing Center or a jog around campus.
• The female student who has been walking and talking on the phone is still walking. She is sort of meandering her way back-and-forth. 
• A couple of campus police walking onto the Mag Quad. They look like they’re just making rounds.
• A student who looks like they have a broken arm. They’re in a sling. 
• A couple guys walking by wearing T-shirts with sports teams on them. One of the students is still repping the Boston Bruins even after their loss the night before. 
• A female student in a cute summery skirt stopping to tie her shoe.
• A male student coming back from what might have been either a workout or team practice. He’s carrying a gallon jug of water (about 3/4 empty). Good for him for hydrating.
• Several crows milling about the Adirondack chair area looking for crumbs that students might have dropped from their breakfasts.
• One long jet contrail in the sky. The sky is pretty blue this morning and not much in the way of clouds, only a few thin and wispy ones.
• A student walking by and he’s walking delightfully slowly – like really just kind of ambling. He does not have a phone in his hand. His hands are in his pockets so I have some hope that maybe what’s happening here is he’s just like observing the morning. He’s really peaceful looking. 
• Two students walking by, male and female. They’re talking as they walk, with one of them saying yeah to the other.
• Students who I assume are coming back from the Pit. During my time, I have seen two students with bananas in hand. One student sounded like he was making up a rap about bananas. It was awesome.
• Some faculty that I know pass by on their way to academic buildings.
• One of the campus golf carts coming down the sidewalk by Tribble. 
• A second student in Los Angeles Dodgers gear. This time it’s a sweatshirt. I’m trying to figure out do we have a lot of students from LA this year, or do we just have a lot of Dodger fans?
• Students who are clearly coming from Camino Bakery, with Camino cups in hand and bags of pastries. 
• The police I saw earlier are now making their way back across the Mag Quad. Wherever they had gone earlier – just to keep an eye on campus I guess? – they appear to be finished and returning.
• Someone on the phone who (based on their outfit) looks like a professor (or a grad student) but if so, he’s probably one of the youngest ones we have – or maybe I’m just that old, because even people in their mid- to late 20s have started looking like babies to me 🙂
• A young man in one of the Adirondack chairs. He’s having a conversation with somebody on the phone. He’s got earbuds in, but he’s clearly talking to somebody. Hunched forward and it seems like a purposeful conversation.
• I see a staff person I know walking down the sidewalk with their laptop, clearly on the way to a meeting. She and I wave at each other and exchange smiles.
• A staff member who looks like they might be part of Facilities or Police standing in the middle of the Mag Quad. They look like they’re assessing the space as if they were trying to envision some kind of activity or event taking place there. They are on the phone talking with someone.
• The big magnolia trees outside of the Benson food court patio. They are absolutely covered in buds that are not open yet. It’ll be another couple of weeks before the magnolias bloom, but this is gonna be magnificent once blooming time comes. 

I hear…

• I hear the thwack thwack thwack of a man’s flip-flops as they go up the stairs heading up to the Pit and Reynolda Hall. 
• I hear this vaguely low mechanical rumble. It’s not it’s not the sound of a drill but it’s something akin to that.
• Lots and lots of birds chirping. There must be several different species, because there are at least 3-4 different types of chirping sounds. 
• Two female students talking, I assume about events last night? One of them is saying “OK, I walk in…” and then sadly they are out of earshot.
• The reversal noise of the golf cart, which is kind of a long, low electronic series of beeps.
• The plastic crackling of a water bottle being opened. It’s the sound of the plastic at the cap being twisted off. A student has just bought one in the pension center and they are apparently walking to class.
• Another little trio or quartet of birds chirping in unison, which is a delightful sound on an otherwise quiet morning.
• A jarring metal-on-metal sound. Someone’s walking down the stairs of the Benson food court patio, where their shoes must have hit like a loose place on the middle facing on the step and it bangs loudly.
• An administrator on a phone call a little bit in the distance.They appear to be wrapping it up because I hear them say “well all right, yeah…” and it just sounds like they’re ready to go.
• Coughing from a passing student. 
• The doors clanging open and shut as people go into the Pit on the terrace above me.
• Increasing numbers of birds. Every once in a while there’s one that just has a piercing call that comes in sets of three – almost sounds like a WHEE, WHEE, WHEE. Definitely not the caw of a crow, more high pitched.   
• A student walking by on the phone and the only snippet that I can catch is “it will probably be a couple hours…”
• The sound of sneakers kind of scraping by, scuffing along the cement as a student walks by me.
• Loud laughter of somebody who’s on the phone.
• One loud sneeze. There’s a LOT of pollen in North Carolina at present and people’s allergies tend to really act up this time of year. 
• A squeaky hinge of the door in Benson opening.
• Four or five birds – a little mini chorus – chirping together. They sound like small birds.

I smell…

• The air. It smells really fresh. It doesn’t seem like the grass was just cut, because it doesn’t smell like cut grass outside, but the air just smells incredibly clean, like the air is just crisp. It could be the dew – I can see a little bit on the grass is starting to burn off in the sun.
• A burst of a light, clean scent. A female student just walked by me and she has some kind of perfume or body spray on. I can’t name the perfume, but the smell is really clean and fresh.
• The imagined heady, lush scent of the magnolias that have not yet bloomed. I don’t smell it in reality, but just thinking about the buds on the trees calls to memory the wonderful, distinctly-Southern smell of our magnolias. I hope they are all in bloom by Commencement so our P’23s get to experience them.

I feel…

• Cool (temperature-wise). I’m sitting behind the shade of a tree and it’s not too hot yet.
• The metal of the bench that I’m sitting on is hard and firm. It’s kind of a chain-link pattern on the table and its connected bench. As I put my elbows on the table, the crook of my elbow can poke through one of the holes in the chain link. You can see the edge of the table in the corner of this picture to see what I mean.
• Quite jealous of the students who are having Camino Bakery for breakfast, because I love their food.
• I feel the sun peeking through the trees where I am. It provides a gentle warmth. Very pleasant.
• Completely awkward as I try to help one of Thrive’s student workers set up the tents for their educational display. With some wrangling, we get it up and in place. (I had to leave before the whole display was set up – it looked better than just a tent, I promise!)
• A bit like an old lady, because from a sartorial perspective, women’s jean shorts are very, very short this year. It’s not exactly that I feel scandalized, or prudish. Just surprised they have that much confidence (I sure didn’t have it at their age).

I taste…

• The remnants of my coffee, which I brought to work in a tumbler.

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Hope that helped you feel like you were sitting right there with me. Have a great weekend, Deac families!