Day Five - 6 Places

Places are more than just desired vacations spots…

Some places have meaning, some have value and some are not physical places at all, but a place or moment in time or in thought.  Places can be anything you want them to be.  The list of places I have never been is much longer than the list of places I have been.  The list of places I want to visit is much longer than the list of the places I’ll never go.

6 Places

1.       The front yard of Boobs old house.  This was our spot… this is where our whole group of friends gathered around the table, eating and drinking and laughing and being family.  The yard was always full with the kids running around and friends of all kinds shadowed by a 100 year old oak tree that housed a family of owls.  It is where we sat and shared our lives, where we watched our kids grow up, our husbands grow-up (and occasionally fall down) and where we could just be.  I sure do miss that yard.

2.       The walking path along the Boulder Creed in my home town of Boulder Colorado.  This is a path that stretches east to west through most of Boulder… and I’ve walked the whole thing (more than once) although admittedly not at the same time.  It will take you up the canyon to places like Eben G Fine Park and east past the High School and The Harvest House (I wonder if that is still the name of that place).  It’s where I spent so much of my life, walking, riding bikes, hanging out on the creek… going to the library or to the mall.  I kissed boys on this path and I got drunk on this path, I met strangers that became friends on this path.  I found nature in the middle of a city (well a city in Colorado terms) on this path.  If you’re ever in Boulder, you should go for a walk along the path.

3.       Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).  This place of majestic national park has always been within a 45 minute drive from me until we moved to Texas.  It is a magical place, full of amazing beauty.  Driving up Trail Ridge Road (the highest continuous paved road in the US), its winding turns and stunning views.  Snow walls reaching 22 feet some times (I have pictures).  Elk, Moose, Longhorn Sheep, Beavers, and Foxes… animals living as God intended.  Fall River Road, a crazy winding dirt road taking you up the back side of the mountain.  It was an annual field trip when I was in school, an annual camping spot with my family.  It was the first place “away from home” that I took all 3 of my children (they were all less than 6 months the first time we took them to the park).  It’s the place my father-in-law asked us to scatter his ashes.  I miss this place, its beauty and it’s place in my life.

4.       My Mom’s House!  It’s just one of those place people like to be, especially me.  It is warm and cozy and inviting.  It’s the kind of place that people want to sit around and visit, the house kind of wraps it’s self around you like a warm blanket.  As a teenager I could not wait to get out of her house.  I did not appreciate the home my mom made for us. Now as an adult I look forward to spending time at her house, relaxing, visiting, just being in the comfort of the home she has made.

5.       Disney World… I know, I know, it’s the happiest place on earth, of course it is one of my favorite places.  It really is though, a very special place to me.  It was the first real vacation The Hubby and I took together.  It is where he proposed to me for the first time.  It is the first place I ate at a 5 star restaurant or saw Cirque du Soleil perform live.  It is the place my little family has created memories we will have forever.  There is an enchantment about Disney World that I love.  I cannot help but smile and relax while sitting in a giant tea-cup spinning round and round or while riding a boat as pirates sing to me.  I love Disney, I love Disney World… It’s my place.

6.       You know that crook in your arm where a baby’s head fits just right?  Yeah, that place.  It has been empty for years now and most of the time the emptiness is okay, but every so often I miss having a little round head to fill that place.  I miss the moments of peace rocking my babies, their heads resting perfectly in the crook of my arm, their whole lives in front of them.  Someday the place will be filled with the perfectness of my grandchildren, and until then my memories will just have to do.