Day 99 - Build a Fairy Door in the Arb

Date: April 15th, 2010

Thursday was a beautiful day.  It was 75 and sunny, with a slight breeze and just enough clouds to make the sky look inviting.  Sometimes on days like that the sun is so bright the sky almost looks white instead of blue, but that wasn't the case on Thursday.  On Thursday, the sky was a piercing, deep shade of blue.  It was the kind of day that makes you want to apologize to anyone who's job keeps them indoors.

Gorgeous.

I often miss my chance to be outside on days like that - there's always some reason why you can't just drop everything and go walk in the park.  For me it was that finals are around the corner, my house needs straightening, my taxes needed mailing, I had to wash my hair, I wanted to level up on Treasure Madness... you know, the usual excuses.

On Thursday, I decided not to miss my chance to enjoy an afternoon outside.  I had an honest-to-goodness moment of panic about dropping my afternoon plans to go for a walk in the park.  When would I study?  What if I had to be somewhere?  What about my new thing for the day?  What if I tripped and sprained my ankle and fell to the bottom of a hill and sat there for days until it started raining on me?  Then I'd be all wet.

Then I realized it was time to stop talking myself out of experiencing beauty cause I'm too busy to bother looking for it.  So I packed up a quilt my gramma made, two of my school books, an apple, a bunch of grapes and a couple sodas and I headed out.  There are ton of amazing parks in Ann Arbor, but having been a UofM student for almost a decade, there is a special place in my heart for the Arb.  Among the little gems buried in the vast acreage of the Arb is a lush valley with the greenest grass you'll ever see.

And this.  Seriously.

Some friends had taken me to see it almost five years ago on a day like Thursday.  I decided it was time to go back there and spend an afternoon lounging in the shade, feeling the breeze on my face and attempting to study.  The one thing that was still worrying me a little was what new thing I could do for the day.  I've studied outside before, lounged at the Arb, gone for a walk -- all the things I was doing were things I'd done before (albeit not very often).

Then I saw the best sign ever.

There is a small nook, past the peony garden, but before the trails veer off deep into the woods.  The forest floor is gently covered with a layer of dried pine needles, long since fallen from the huge trees above.  I was utterly enchanted.  Here, surrounded by serious-minded students with serious pursuits, was a tiny bastion of childish fancy, self-contained between the trail heads.  I was about to walk on, looking for the valley I'd come to sit in, my mood lifted, when I saw the next best sign ever.

Check it.

That, my friends, is instructions on how to build a home for the fairies and trolls that live in the woods.  I was deeply concerned, of course, about what building free homes for fairies and trolls would do to their population.  I don't need to tell you that fairies have an abhorrent work ethic.  All they do is flit around, dropping dust on people and giggling.  They're all "tee hee, tee hee".  Get a job.

Then I realized, giggling and flying is their job.  But then I didn't want to build them a house out of jealousy.  That's like the best job ever.  Its better than all the prime jobs I always wanted.  You know the ones - candy taster, TV watcher, mercenary spelunker.  Of course, my jealousy quickly disappeared when I realized I'd never built a home for a fairy before.

Yes I actually tried.  Shut up.

It was great, actually.  I felt so fanciful when I set down my backpack and started rummaging around for sticks, a bucket and pine needles to assemble a little covered spot.  I gave the fairy a pine cone couch - its those nice little touches that make a fairy house a fairy home.  Once I finished building the fairy house, I walked on down the trail to the amazing valley.  As I was walking down, I realized yet again how much this project has changed me already.  I got so much joy from that afternoon outside.  I forgot how much I love flights of fancy, being silly and enjoying the world around me.

I strolled (that's right - I strolled - its a specific type of walking - look it up) down to the valley, laid out my blanket and spent an hour reading about jurisdiction and religious liberty, eating grapes and drinking pop.  About once every five to ten minutes, the clouds would cover the sun and a soft wind would pick up.  Those were the best moments.  Those were the moments when all the people sitting on their blankets, reading their books or talking to their friends would stop, close their eyes and just marvel at the physical sensation of beauty all around them.  Then the sun came back out and I could feel warmth wash over my whole body.

Pictured: Joy

So much of this year has been about planning to live my life more, but days like Thursday are a great reminder that putting yourself in a position to see the world is sometimes all it takes.  A year ago, with finals looming, I saw days like Thursday and sat inside with the window shades drawn and hunkered down with my books.  Going out to the Arb, I got just as much done as I do at home, but with the added joy of building a home for a fairy and spending the afternoon feeling the sun on my face.

Maybe with some practice I'll be able to build a fairy mansion.