Stop isn’t something I am good at unless its a traffic sign and then I am only mildly participant. Really, the kids get on my case all the time. Today I stopped. The world didn’t stop and everything was still there waiting for me when I returned. I left laundry in the hallway, crumbs on the table (actually left by my son). It’s all still here. I was told to stop, I was told to slow down, listen to your body, feed it (not food), find things that make you happy. Today I did that. I did my school work this morning over coffee and morning news with the hubby. Then I saw my son and waited to see what he was up to for the day. He left, then I left. I was on my way to my favorite park from when I was a child. Beaver Lake. It’s such a cool little slice of heaven. It has all these mulched soft walking paths. I have two favorite paths. One is the lake loop and I never walk the whole thing because there is one spot I love to just sit and watch. The other one is the bog trail which is a wood planked walkway through basically the swampy area, but it’s so fun. The plants are stunning. I did the lake loop. There is a spot that has a half circle of benches, I have seen a wedding there. just in front of the service benches is an area that is cleared out to see the water and there is a single bench right at the shoreline. My favorite spot. I sat down, I think it was 1030. I didn’t get up until almost noon. I caught up on some conversations and I looked across the lake. I let the memories from when I was a kid wash over me. My grandparents used to take me there, it was so much fun. My grandpa taught me what I know about birds out in the open. My gramma had books about birds and I would always look through them selecting the ones I wanted to see. We would look up at the trees and the canopy. We would look down at all the low foliage. This was the first place I saw a chipmunk, it was on a school field trip. The touch garden is even still there. Full of herbs and lams ears and things that just feel good between the skin on your finger tips. This was what I needed. I cried. I smiled. I took deep breaths. I could probably still be there but the bugs were coming out as it was getting warmer. Bugs and I do not get along, it irritates my husband to no end, I flail about and make noises and shout for them to go away. It’s comical and tragic all at the same time. The time spent there was fulfilling and felt so good, I might make this a weekly thing…or find other parks with similar atmospheres. I saw birds, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, and bugs. Saw my favorite little red tree squirrels scurrying about. Then, there was a fly that wouldn’t leave me alone…yes, I was flailing… so I was like, fine, I can go, it’s been awhile anyways. So, I got up and started walking to the path. As I reached the path there was a deer across it eating some greens. So, I stopped and whipped out the trusty iPhone camera as usual. I still was battling this fly, finally it landed haphazardly on my shirt and I swatted at it and shouted go away. I mean, for the love of god can you see this! I am an idiot. Just as this happened the deer galloped towards me as if she wanted to help. She then proceeded to swirl her way through the service benches and stood across from me with a few benches in between us. Staring at me with her big brown eyes, I could see her lashes when she blinked. At this point the fly had left the area, thank god. Then she laid down. Right in between the benches so that her placement was still able to be eye to eye. Now the flies were bothering her, she would shake her head and twitch her big deer ears. As I began to walk away, she continued her constant eye contact. She followed me walking away with her eyes for as long as we could see each other. I wish I had an apple to give her, but we shared a few important moments and maybe that was something we both needed. I went to the building and sat in the rocking chairs by the bird windows for a few minutes. Not much action other than the usual rodents on the ground. Saw some gold finches, a grosbeak, and a ton of woodpeckers. Take me to the water any day and I will feel one hundred times better. I think the next trip will be the great lake near me. It has a really cool shore of rocks. I have this affliction to rocks, I am fascinated by them.
It was always my intention to share images here on these pages too, but sometimes time gets the better of me. So here are a few from today…including my deer friend.
