Daily Journal: I am a social animal

The threat of rain hovered over Bloomington for most of today. By late afternoon, a drizzle was settling. The unmistakable hissing of water-droplet static and the petrichor, or more specifically, the pleasant earthy scent of wet cement, filled the air.

But before the dampness coated the southern Indiana landscape, I enjoyed a sunny day out and about visiting two artsy landmarks: the T.C. State Historic Site and the town of Nashville.

It may not sound like the most remarkable of days to some. Then again after weeks upon weeks of coronavirus lockdown, getting out to walk amongst the living anywhere was a welcome change. And, as a writer always looking for new experiences, I could not imagine a more perfect way to enjoy another day of life in this flawed and magnificent country of my birth.

"Man is by nature a social animal." So said Aristotle. He continued to say that if you did not mix socially with others, then you were "either a beast or a god." Today, socialization is an even more important component of our American experience because of the traumatic amputation of our freedoms during this prolonged lockdown.

As this is simply one of my Daily Journal Entries, I will not completely address my take on the present situation in our nation. That is coming in one of my essays in progress. This blog post is simply providing a window into my day's activities and how I processed them as a writer in this historic time of ours. If you are an aspiring writer, take note. You are living in historic times. Write down your experiences. Make your personal experiences part of our universal experience. I will be writing more about that in the days to come.

What did I learn today that might make me a better writer?  That is the question you must ask yourself. Regardless of what you did. Maybe it was an uneventful, boring day. Wrong. There is no such thing. Every day is filled with enough experiences to write several insightful essays or dramatic short stories or novels. You simply must pay attention.

So... back to my nearly-perfect day. I never knew who T.C. Steele or his wife Selma were before today. My beautiful guide surprised me by taking me to their estate, which includes their home built in 1907, as well as, rolling hills and breathtaking vistas filled with the majestic trees that once covered Indiana.

More on this historic site in a future post. After visiting the T.C. Steele site, we traveled to Nashville, established as an artists' colony in the early 20th Century. We strolled the town's sidewalks.

I never knew how much I cherished a simple stroll with a lovely companion, stepping arm in arm window shopping along a township's retail markets, until that freedom was taken from me. 

That is all for now. But... tomorrow is another possible day of new experiences. Here's to hoping...