I am happy to announce my guest, Monica Rose, who also happens to run a blog about finding a light in dark times. Here is Monica's beautiful response about a summer experience:
I never met my paternal grandfather. Pop Pop passed away years before I was born.
A couple years ago, I discovered my new favorite place in the world: High Rock State Park.
Stay with me, I swear these two things are related.
My friend and I decided to go on a hike in High Rock State Park. We hopped on his motorcycle at 6am, and flew up the roads to this beautiful patch of nature. There’s nothing quite like the freedom one feels while riding a motorcycle.
The sun was beating down, but the light breeze made it bearable. Surrounded by trees, rocks to climb, and a river below us, we began our hike. Eventually, we took a break from walking, and sat on the edge of this big rock. I’m talking like, Pride Rock from the Lion King type of situation – the river was a hundred feet below us, I could see the tops of the tallest trees.
Normally, I need distractions. My anxiety runs high, and I need something to focus my mind (a podcast, an audiobook, music, etc.) but in that moment, staring at the view, sitting on a warm rock, I felt entirely at peace. I felt… spiritual, connected, and entirely in sync with everything. I lost track of how long we sat on that rock.
Eventually we moved on, and I nearly fell off a cliff. I took a risky step, and the rocks crumpled beneath my feet, so I grabbed a branch, hung on for dear life, pressed against a tall rock. I reached my right leg as far as it could go, found solid ground, and used my pitiful thigh muscles to swing the rest of my body to safety. I sat on a trunk, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
I went with laughter, and found peace again in the rest of the day.
When I got home, I told my dad about my time sitting on the rock. I told him about how I felt connected with something deep inside of me that day, in a way I hadn’t really felt before. I felt a warm spirituality in my core, and a strong appreciation for life and my family. I informed my dad that it was my new favorite place to be.
“High Rock State Park?” asked my dad.
“Yeah, why?”
“That was your Pop Pop’s favorite place in the world.”
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