// my happy spot //

as I type this, nostalgia washes over me, and so many fond memories buried within my childhood are revived anew. I have not been there in over three years time, yet if I close my eyes hard enough, the image imprinted within my mind vividly swims before me...

past deserts and towering snow-capped peaks, there lies a valley filled with both light and shadow, granite domes and silky meadows - opposites amalgamated in perfect harmony to create a secluded retreat of awe-inspiring nature. now within this valley of light and shadow, below a canopy of the velvety tips of wispy pines an alcove lies between granite walls streaked with tears and worn with age, once untouched by human eyes...

the mid-august heat crept up my back as I pedaled down the dusty lane. dried pine needles crunched under my bicycle's wheel - the scent filling my nostrils. my legs grew heavy pedaling up the slope, ah! but then a sound my heart longed for tickled my ears. in the distance it was but a whisper, a murmur of something that reminded me of mist - muffled, airy, ethereal. yet, when I approached closer, it thundered. I veered onto a trail that grew narrower into a clump of trees - the path only a strand of thread weaving in and out of the greenery, twice over wooden bridges, and finally it stopped. my happy spot. relief washes over me, as I see the river coming fully into view, chattering over a bed of rainbow. the pebbles, flecked with granite, sparkling in the afternoon sun, and I eagerly dipped into the crystal waters. the stream's current rushes beneath me - the foam glittering like delicate lace. my heart beats to the rhythm of the water's thundering, and excitement trills within me when I see a little pool under a canopy of silvery beech trees. the warmth of the granite boulder is much welcomed from the crisp dip in the icy waters, and I sun my hair in the afternoon sunshine, spilling through the branches. gingerly, I touch the quiet pool, staring into its violet depths.           

I am surrounded by the bird's melodious chirping, the sparkle of the midnight waters, and the bluest of skies above. granite walls enrapture me, and the moss-covered trees of old bend down to whisper their secrets. I have stepped into a sanctuary of both light and shadow, rock and water - I have stepped into my happy place forever locked into my heart. 

what is your happy place? 

lovingly,

the keeper of the garden.

[photographs via pinterest]