Finding Peace on a Dirt Road
Life has its way of throwing troubles and worries my way. Whether it be something in school, a family issue, or a girl I can’t seem to get off my mind, I seem to always have something tangling up my thoughts. I’ve tried all the classic methods of relaxation you can think of, but none of them ever really work. One thing that does have an almost magical power over my mind however, is the country. Something about driving down an open dirt road, surrounded by tall green grass, with a fresh breeze of air blowing through the window calms my thoughts. There’s been many occasions in my life where I’ve had to drop everything I was doing and just hop in my car to drive out to that spot where I could escape the pressure of life happening all around me. There’s also been times where I’ve stumbled upon a secluded country drive in the middle of nowhere and still I feel like I am right at home. When I add music into all of that, the countryside becomes a solid place of refuge where I can find peace.
I remember one occasion that drove me out into the country quite vividly. It was my senior year of high school, I had been in an off and on relationship with a particular girl multiple times. We hadn’t talked for a few days and so when I got a text from her I knew it would be interesting. For the sake of too much detail, I’ll only say that the text upset me greatly, and came at a very bad time. I immediately grabbed my keys, ran out to my car, and tore out of the driveway. I was gone, speeding down the highway to get to my spot. The only sound in the car was the humming of the engine, and the tires against the road as I made sharp turns along the way. I was motionless, my hands on the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. The sun was just starting to set behind the mountains, the orange and blue color caught the corner of my eye. I rolled down my window and turned to my left to look at the sunset. The warm prairie breeze rushed in through the window and ran quickly through my lungs, sending a calming sensation throughout my mind and body. Time suddenly slowed way down, and without realizing it, I had forgotten what had just drove me out here. I didn’t care about her at that moment. I was in love with the beauty of God’s country.
I drove a little further and found a turnoff where I could park. I turned on some music, got out and walked to the back and popped the tailgate to sit down. I gazed west into the sunset. I could hear the sound of birds chirping all around, the tall grass whistling against the wind. I was lost in the moment. I sat there for a good while, the darkness began to settle in. I stood up and took one last look around, trying to gather a snapshot of this place, my place, so that I could come back to it later. I got back in the car and headed back home. When I got back home the thoughts of her started to make their way back into my head. I plopped down in bed and turned on the music again. The music took me back to my place, and as I slowly dozed off the worries shed away once more. And once more, I was in peace out there on that dirt road.
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