My Serenity

I think this is finished. Now I have to make excuses to my teacher for why its so dreadfully late. I think I'll just not even go there. Ugh!!!! Maybe just the mention of toddler and infant will do the trick? Double ugh!!!! got to get over that if I ever want to make a go of this writing stuff!

The Inland waterway cuts through our town, bringing with it a quiet serenity yet stirring our restless hearts. I love to go up to the park that sits on its shores when I need some time to think things through. It is a refuge from my sometimes mixed up world. The pleasure boats that churn their way south through the locks serve as a reminder that everything is temporary.
Today is one of those days that I need the refuge of my special place in the park. I hurry past the playground where a rowdy band of toddlers screech and giggle their way through a game of tag. On the other side of the park is the canal where a parade of white sales flutters in the breeze as they wait to go through the locks heading south for a summer of carefree travel. The sound of the skippers calling to one another fades when I step onto the wooded path that leads to my special place.
I remove my shoes so that I can feel the mixture of fine sand and pine needles massaging my toes. It is peaceful to be walking along the path with the sound of the water gently lapping the shore. Towering pines give me relief from the heat of the late afternoon sun and dull the noise that emanates from the park area. Several herons add to the tranquility as they gracefully alight in the tall grass and survey the scene before them without making a sound. They keep a wary eye on me as I ramble through their domain, only stirring when the silence is broken by fish jumping out of the water.
Breathing deeply, my lungs are filled with the sweet scent of honeysuckle that permeates the air. I can almost taste the sugary nectar of the flowers. Not wanting to risk the fiery stings of the honey bees that swarm through the vines with a clear intention of making off with all the bounty found within, I continue on my way.
Rounding a bend in the path the beauty is interrupted by a rusty barge languishing on the opposite shore. In years to come, it will hardly be noticeable as it sinks ever further into the mud and muck and is overtaken by trees and marsh grass. Even here, the elegant herons add beauty and quietude.
I reach my spot and snuggle into the small alcove off the path. Tiny crabs and water bugs scatter in every direction, though some of the crabs stay close by in the crevices of driftwood pieces as if to challenge my intrusive presence. Hiding among the wheat grass, I imagine myself one of the tiny residents of this sandy sanctuary. Moments later the creatures return, grudgingly accepting my presence in their world. Leaning back on a small tree, I relax and take in the captivating beauty of what surrounds me. The sun begins to sink into the horizon adding a dramatic orange blaze to the stark blue canvas. I close my eyes and listen as the tree frogs and crickets begin their nightly concert. There is nowhere else I’d rather be at this moment.