As I walked along the dirt road, I could not help but marvel at the Spanish moss hanging off the oaks and their branches that reached across the roads. They formed a canopy that shaded and cooled the road and added a beauty that engrains into your mind forever. I made my way down towards the water’s edge of the marshes. The tide was in between low and high and the marsh grasses swayed in the winds. The great blue heron and white egrets stalked along the water’s edge searching for the next meal as the redfish feasted on crustaceans with their tails sticking out of the water. The seagulls soared overhead against the blue sky and the white wispy clouds danced about forming shapes of animals and people. The canals meandered through the marsh, like roads that led through the countryside, taking you on a journey through time.
I sat by the water’s edge for hours and imagined gliding my kayak through the marsh, fly fishing for redfish, speckled trout, and flounder. Taking in all that nature had to offer and immersing myself in the beauty of it all. Smelling the salt air, feeling the breeze against my face while the gulls called out to one another, and feeling a calm that filled my soul. The problems of the world no longer existed and the worries left as quickly as the tide does on its way out.
I walked away from the marsh and started back up the dirt road, thinking how lucky I was to be able to enjoy all that it had to offer. To see the beauty of life unfold before my eyes.
Points to Ponder:
The dirt roads of our lives and minds, lead us to places that the troubles of the world cannot compete with. In the middle of constant changes and chaos, there is always a road that will lead you to a place that comforts the soul. A place where we can forget the storms in our lives and immerse ourselves in a moment of peace and tranquility. A place where your troubles float way in the tides of life.
Thanks, Charlie. May we all have a dirt road – real or virtual – where we can catch our breath and behold life greater than our own.
Thanks, Charlie, for taking us on your worry-free place and inviting us to job down memory lane for a moment of freedom from chaos and change. I could envision this beautiful place on the water, and, having done so, left me feeling lighter.