A few weeks ago, I found myself locked out of the visitor center at Nichols Arboretum. Through a series of poor choices on my part, I had no phone, no computer, and no way to get back inside. 

It was early, around 7:00 a.m., and I knew that if I waited long enough, one of my coworkers would eventually arrive to start their day. So I waited. Normally, I might have used the time to walk the trails and keep myself busy, but I didn’t want to wander too far and miss someone who could let me into the building. Instead, I stayed close by and sat on a bench near the Arb’s entrance.

At first, admittedly, I was pretty annoyed. (I have so much to do -  I'm getting behind!) But that feeling faded pretty quickly as I started paying attention to what was happening around me. 

To my left, tall yellow cup plants were in bloom, and finches moved among them, busily gathering seeds and chattering back and forth. I watched as their drama played out among the flowers. 

I picked up a few small stones and turned them over in my hand, noticing the colors and patterns I probably would have walked right past. I carefully stacked them, knocked them down, and stacked them again before returning them to the dirt.

A chipmunk darted out from the tall grasses and stopped when it saw me. For a moment, we just looked at each other (Hey there, little friend!) Then, slowly at first and quickly once it decided I wasn’t very interesting, it continued on its way.

None of this was remarkable - and maybe that was the point.

I spend a lot of time at the Arboretum, but I’m usually there with somewhere to go or something to do. Even when I’m walking the trails, I’m moving with purpose. That morning, I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t check my phone. I couldn’t answer an email. I couldn’t make myself productive. All I could do was sit there. 

We talk a lot about slowing down, being present, and spending time in nature. Sometimes we even turn those things into another task to accomplish. That morning, I didn’t set out to do any of those things. I just got locked out of a building. 

For a little while, there was nowhere to go and nothing I needed to accomplish. There were finches in the cup plants, a few beautiful stones in my hand, and a chipmunk passing through. And I had time to notice them.