This week's topic is: Favorite Peaceful Place
What are some of your favorite outdoor places to go where your spirit is lifted and the rest of the world doesn't matter? Where life stands still and you feel at peace?
Growing up, I moved quite frequently, which meant I never had close friends. To compensate for this, I always made or found a place that I could go to be all by myself, with my own thoughts and imagination. I remember times when I would need to be by myself to escape reality, whether that meant my parents, my siblings, school, or school mates. I'm not sure I would describe the result of these times as one where my spirit was lifted, but I know I could shut out everything to the point where the world didn't matter. I did feel at peace.
Out of all these places of my childhood, the one I would have to say was my favorite was the rooftop of our garage where I lived when I was in sixth grade. I only lived there for a year and in some ways, it was a difficult year. I would climb a tree (it was either an apricot or peach) that stood next to the garage. Once I got high enough, I could step onto the roof. I could walk all around the roof, and usually did. From that vantage point, I could look into neighbor's yards and watch the cars go by on the nearby freeway. Most of the time I would just sit and be. The roof was my refuge.
There was one other place that came to mind while reflecting on this particular topic. From sixth grade on, I lived in a city near the beach. Once I was old enough to drive, I often drove down to a specific beach and park on the street overlooking the water. I could sit there in my car or on one of the many benches and watch the water, the birds, and the people engaged in their "beachy" activities like surfing, flying kites or rollerblading. I mainly went there when I needed to think and figure something out. Being at or near the beach always lifts my spirits and will always be a popular refuge.
4 comments:
my car.
from the day I got my first car to tonight before work. I love to sit in my car alone. Sometimes I listen to the radio...more often lately I just sit in silence.
it's calming and restive.
when I had an office job that was difficult and overwhelming I ate my lunch in my car.
when I was a teenager and home was stressful I would get in my car and drive. just drive. looking for open highways.
I love my car.
Diana,
Thank you for participating. Great post. It made me think back to my first office job. It was a very stressful supervisory position. My first, when I was 20. I used to drive around the lakefront, sometimes parking and just watching the lake.
I go somewhere where I can see trees or water in their natural state. My back porch (small as it is) has just enough room for me to sit down cross legged. Also, a short walk away is a creek, where I enjoy reading.
What a neat idea!!
I lived in the same house until I got married. I liked sitting on the radiators in the winter and watching things happening out the window. We lived in town, so I couldn't see much, but that is a place I remember feeling peaceful.
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