Before I arrived at the IMA, I worked in the for-profit, residential landscaping trade. During the period of January through mid March when work would pause due to ice and cold, I sometimes worked as a substitute teacher. I enjoyed the time in classrooms at Pike High School except for one problem: more than half the classrooms had no windows. I would arrive in the dark morning and leave in dusky afternoon. I felt like a plant unable to photosynthesize. Worse, I had no connection to the world, no sense of wind, rain, heat or cold, nor natural sound. I felt like I had been numbed and wrapped in cotton balls.
Those sun-shiny memories are meant as preface, sympathizing with cubicle dwellers, retail and restaurant staff, and factory workers. Rise up comrades! And step outside. Even in a place with as much asphalt and concrete as the IMA parking areas, you can meet natural wonders. Just slow down and look.
There is an asphalt roadway three lanes wide, in and out of the IMA’s underground parking garage. The low shrubs on either side, caught between the curb and concrete retaining walls are fragrant sumac. Being careful about traffic, reach down and rub a twig and leaves gently between your hands. Now smell. Spicy, refreshing?
