Special Places

Special Places

Many times it seemed that the only thing that never changed was that things around her were constantly changing. She glided from one year to the next; growing into adulthood as everything continued to change around her. Every year, without fail, the seasons shifted from the cold, blustery nights of winter, to the colorful and ever changing scenery of spring, to the warm, long days of summer, and to the blustery winds of fall. As the seasons changed she continued forward on her journey to adulthood; beautiful changes occurring around her and many changes occurring within her. As she grew from an infant to an adult, her views of people and places changed. As a child she saw things in a completely different manner than she did as an adult, because of a better understanding of life. Like many people, she had a special place that brought her a sense of peace and solitude; a place that she could retreat to when life became difficult, but the need for this special place and her views of it changed as she grew into adulthood. Perceptions of her special place changed rapidly and were affected by many different circumstances; thus satisfying different needs during different stages of her life.

Long blonde braids swing in the wind, a brown bear is clutched tightly against her small body and large tears streak a path down her dirty face as the small girl sits near the pond on a fallen log. As she sits on the log she is looking around her with a wary look in her large brown eyes, her small mouth holds a frown and her chin quivers in an effort to gain composure. She is still breathing heavily from her run through the bushes, as far away from the yelling as she could get. After some time she rises from her perch and begins to explore her surroundings. For the first time since running through the trees she sees the world around her. In the tree sits a beautiful blue bird, singing a cheerful melody and flapping his wings; two branches above the bird sits a squirrel holding a nut in his miniature hands and gazing at the girl with curiosity; suddenly a foot crunches behind her and she turns to see a deer drinking from the pond. This was a magical place and there was nothing here to hurt the anxious child. As she explores the beauty of her surroundings, a sense of peace comes over her. If only for a short period in the day, peace can be found and the reality of life can be left behind. The blonde haired girl and her raggedy brown bear have found a place of peace.

Crouched behind a tree, a girl with short blonde hair hides her eyes as she counts. As she gets closer to reaching one hundred, the excitement within her can be seen. Her hands seem to have a mind of their own as they come away from her eyes. She is dancing from one leg to another; her eyes sparkling with excitement. As soon as she reaches one hundred she shouts out in a confident voice, “Ready or not, here I come!” She uncovers her eyes and begins to look carefully around her, her brown eyes open wide. She walks as silently through the grass as she is able, resembling a deer treading carefully across a field. She knows that she will find them soon. Gaily she runs through the trees searching for her friends. In a matter of minutes she is lying on the ground in the middle of a group of girls, giggling over their game. Happiness can be seen in her eyes as she plays in this magical place. Her friends sit with her and watch the blue bird that still lives in the same tree and the deer that comes to drink water in the pond. The fall has turned all of the leaves to a pumpkin orange, with splashes of yellow and red, and they float gently to the ground with the gentle breeze. The girl watches the leaves fall to the ground as she lays her head on a pile of the colorful leaves gathered beneath her. If only she could stay in this wonderful place for all time.

Bare legs dangling in the pond and shiny blonde hair spread on the grass; the teenage girl lay on her back with a book open in her hands. Her concentration is focused solely on the book as she studies in her magical place. Here in her sanctuary, she is able to study for the upcoming exams. As she studies the material in front of her, she is silently chewing on her lip; a frown rests between her eyes and a determined look on her face. This is a very important test and anxiety radiates from the girl. She knows that this is an opportunity to leave home and begin a life of her own. As she studies hour after hour, the light around her changes to shadow. The birds stop chirping, and a frog orchestra takes over; they seem to be telling her to keep studying. She pulls out a lantern and continues to study, knowing that she is safe in this place. Soon she is glancing worriedly at her watch and then frantically replaces all of the things into her bag. She must get home and tend to her siblings. As soon as the bag is packed she is running on long, muscular legs through the tall green grass. Blonde hair flies behind her as she gracefully jumps over a log. She knows she must hurry so that she is not missed, or she may not be able to return to this special and peaceful place.

Tens years later a blonde woman crawls through a small opening in a row of bushes. She is barely able to fit through the hole and her hair becomes tangled in the bushes. As she crawls through the opening, in her formal Army uniform, she does not recall the opening being so small. Around her all is quiet and birds can be heard chirping in distant trees. When she reaches the end of the tunnel, she must unfold herself from a crawling position. As she stands up and stretches, brushes the dirt from her knees, she notices how quiet her surroundings are. She remembers running to this place to get away from alcoholic parents and constant fighting. This small clearing in the woods had been her sanctuary for so many years. Through her adult eyes she viewed the clearing no larger than a football field, a pond the size of a small pool and rotting trees that had fallen to the ground. Even as her eyes viewed the scenery around her, her heart felt at peace. Here was the magical place that gave her peace for so many years. A lone tear traveled a path down her gently rounded face, a tear of thankfulness for being so blessed to have found this special place. As she walked along the barren clearing her mind brought back the colorful grass, the beautiful trees and the clear, sparkling pond. As she reminisced she could hear the blue bird chirping in his tree, the squirrel chattering from the branch above, and the deer gently lapping the water. Even as her eyes saw the reality of her surroundings, her heart felt very much at home. When she left the clearing for the last time, quietly murmuring goodbye, it was with a big smile on her face; knowing that this place helped her survive childhood. She crawled through the tunnel of bushes, hair tangling in the branches and was helped to a standing position by a man with a small, red cheeked baby in his arms. Arm in arm, husband and wife walked away from this special place, magic surrounding them.

Through each stage of life, people see things differently and have different needs; much like the girl and her special place. As a young girl she needed to find safety, a secure place to hide, a place of solitude and security. A few years later she was in need of a hideout for herself and her friends to play, a place for laughter and sunshine. Finally, as a teenager she was in need of a place for reflection and study, a quiet place for thoughts and dreams. What one sees through the eyes of a small child may look different through the eyes of an adult. A small child may see beauty in her surroundings, where the adult may only see fallen trees and barren fields. When people reach adulthood, their knowledge and views about life shift, changing the way they view the world around them. Even though their perceptions and needs change over the years, they will always have fond memories of their special places and defining moments. Once people have outgrown their need to run to their special places, they hold these places with great fondness in their memories. In their hearts they will always hold these places dear and remember them as they were when they needed them the most; just as the grown blonde woman walked away with great fondness in her heart and great memories that would last a lifetime.