Look, listen, taste, smell and touch.
These five senses can be used to enhance your experience as a human being and help you and some friends get out there and enjoy what the earth has to offer.
This may sound like hippie-talk, but getting outdoors can be a really fun way to give you something to do at ETSU and its surrounding areas. Even if you are not looking to be a hippie, there are many things to do outdoors this Labor Day weekend and throughout the fall semester to keep your brain and body active and to help you stay focused for the challenges of school.
If you are a new student and are looking to make some new friends, give ETSU’s sports clubs a try. Don’t be a wallflower and sit these clubs out, because they could help you become involved with people who share interests not only in the outdoors, but in college life.
Through these clubs, you could find your future best friend, a new hobby or a fun activity to look forward to each week. To get more information on these clubs go to the SORC Web site http://www.etsu.edu/students/sorc/, click on Student Organizations and then click on Sporting/Activity.
Maybe you were a new student last year and just didn’t have enough time to take part in a sports club on campus. No worries mate, there are several other ways to get out there and have some fun.
If you like getting in a car and taking a fulfilling road trip to take your mind off of school, there are several parks in the area to keep your brain from imploding.
These parks include Roan Mountain State Park, Sycamore Shoals State Park, Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park, (all three can be found at http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/, Grayson Highlands State Park (my favorite) http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/gra.shtml, Great Smoky Mountains National Park http://www.nps.gov/grsm/ and Buffalo Mountain Park http://www.etsu.edu/about_buffalo_mountain_park.htm.
These parks offer superior opportunities for outdoor experiences including hiking, boating, camping, horseback riding, bike riding, nature talks and many other great activities to get you pumped to get back to school.
One event to look forward to this Labor Day weekend is Booms Day, http://www.boomsday.org, in nearby Knoxville, Tenn.
This is an awesome celebration with a magnificent fireworks display.
Although it is about a one-and-a-half hour drive from Johnson City, it is well worth the drive to see the fireworks with some friends/family in downtown Knoxville.
Later this semester you could attend the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival, http://www.bristolrhythm.com, Sept. 19-21, or the National Storytelling Festival, http://www.storytellingfoundation.net/festival/about-fest.htm, Oct. 3-5, in Jonesborough, Tenn.
Just remember, if your friends are doing wild and crazy things, like kayaking through rocky gorges with a serious chance of death or crawling through tight, claustrophobic spaces in caves, that doesn’t mean you have to do it too.
However, it still feels nice to do something outdoors every once in a while, even if it’s not extremely dangerous.
So the next time you are walking to class, look up at the trees, listen to the wind in the leaves, taste the air, smell the flowers and touch the grass. Start filling your schedule with multiple opportunities to be outside.

Author