Jessica and Brian's Outdoor Extravaganza (Jessica Hartlein)

          My close friend, Brian, is profoundly deaf in both ears.  We met in class a few years ago when we were assigned to the same group for a project.  Although it is not extremely easy for us to communicate, we became friends.  Despite his “disability”, we have a ton in common.  We both love hiking, running, and other outdoor sports.  I have picked up a little sign language over the years, and he is good at lip reading- we make it work.  As the autumn weather has been gorgeous, we decided to go out last Saturday to enjoy it to the fullest.
          We began the day early, at our favorite Starbucks for a morning snack.  We were able to sit outside and enjoy the crisp fall air while eating a quick breakfast.  The patio was deserted, so we had no issue with crowding.  Their dried mango bites and “perfect oatmeal” are both fantastic, and the iced espresso was necessary.  Brian caught me up on his life a little via sign language, and I followed surprisingly well.  Like any foreign language, signing takes practice, and I have had a few years of practice.  As Brian cannot hear, the roaring Barrett Parkway traffic did not interfere with our intimate breakfast in the slightest.  As always, we got some stares from passersby, but they were more of the curious sort than anything else. 

          After fueling, we drove to Kennesaw Mountain for a hike.  This is the perfect time of year to scale the mountain, but going early in the day is key- it is PACKED if you wait until the afternoon.  Brian is in great shape, so I love doing workouts with him; I really have to push myself!  We made it up the mountain in about twenty minutes, and sat on the rocks at the top and just watched the sun come up.   It was great to have some privacy- we didn't see a single person for the entire time that we were at the top of the mountain. The leaves are just starting to change colors, and we could see all the way from KSU to downtown Atlanta from our perch.  It was extremely peaceful.

 

          When we were ready to leave, we decided to run the descent. Going back down the mountain is the best part, as you can run really fast!  It was definitely a challenge for me to keep up.

          Once we finished our workout, neither of us wanted to go back indoors- the weather was too gorgeous.  We explored nearby Marietta Square for a little while, enjoying the farmers’ market and just taking in the day.  The farmer’s market was a little uncomfortable for a second, as the King of Pops vendor did not know that Brian was deaf and thought that he was simply being ignored.  The only thing that Brian ever mentions bothering him about being deaf is that people cannot tell.  Their first impression of him is that he is rude or cocky, and he isn’t like that at all.

 

 

 

 

          Once we left Marietta, Brian dropped me off at my apartment.  We had stayed out so late that the sun was actually starting to go down.  It had been a long day, but one of the best I had had all semester.  Sometimes you need to get out and enjoy nature, and I’m so thankful for my friendship with Brian and the opportunities that Kennesaw offers to be outdoors.