by Violet Rebecca Jones
One of the places that I have started rambling to on those days when I need to be alone, quiet, and think is the beach on the lake near +Clemson University. There are actually several lakes nearby, and most of them have beaches that are open to the public. However, there is something about this beach that makes it special. I am not sure if it is the fact that it is on a university campus, and therefore, is infused with a sense of youth and vitality, or if it is simply because it is in a pretty location that is easily accessible. Either way, it is a place where one can be both alone and with others at the same time.
I have never been there when no one was around. There is usually something going on, whether it is a rowing class getting underway or simply a group of students lying in the sun or playing a game of Frisbee. Yet, they never intrude on one's privacy. Perhaps it is because I am considered old by them since I am past 40 by a few years, well, more than a few years. However, I really think it might simply be that they are inclined to mind their own business since I don't bother them, which is a good philosophy as far as I am concerned.
I kind of like being able to observe without discussion, contemplate without commentary, and simply to rest without explaining why I am not being productive. There are picnic benches and tables where I sometimes sit, but often I simply pull out the folding chair I keep in the trunk of my car, set it up in a nice spot, and watch the sailboats pass by. I can actually feel my muscles uncoil, and my eyes relax as I watch them glide smoothly over the water. I wonder about the thoughts of the sailors and rowers as they maneuver their crafts through the cool water, and whether or not they contemplate who I am and why I am watching them. The water of this lake is very deep, and there is tinge of fear when I see a sailboat tip far to one side. There have been many drownings in this lake over the years, and I don't want to be a witness to one.
Sometimes I take a book with me, but most of the time when I do, I end up not reading it. It seems like such a waste of God's beautiful creation to bury my eyes in a book that can be cozily read while I am curled up in my soft bed at night. It is almost as if I am a dying person voraciously trying to capture every sight and sound that I possibly can before they are seized from me forever.
Sometimes there are geese that fly in for a few hours of rest on their journey, and sometimes I take some stale bread to feed them, but usually I don't. I just watch them, listen to their honking conversations with one another and think about all the places they have seen. It must be wonderful to simply fly away to a new landscape whenever one desires, without worrying about luggage, tickets, or body searches.
This is my little area of paradise, my retreat, my little plot of escape, and even when I cannot go there, I can shut my eyes and recapture its peace and the sense of being far away where worries and cares do not exist.
For a glimpse of this area, click on the following link: https://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/campus-recreation/cubeach/events.html
Copyright 2014 Violet Rebecca Jones
One of the places that I have started rambling to on those days when I need to be alone, quiet, and think is the beach on the lake near +Clemson University. There are actually several lakes nearby, and most of them have beaches that are open to the public. However, there is something about this beach that makes it special. I am not sure if it is the fact that it is on a university campus, and therefore, is infused with a sense of youth and vitality, or if it is simply because it is in a pretty location that is easily accessible. Either way, it is a place where one can be both alone and with others at the same time.
I have never been there when no one was around. There is usually something going on, whether it is a rowing class getting underway or simply a group of students lying in the sun or playing a game of Frisbee. Yet, they never intrude on one's privacy. Perhaps it is because I am considered old by them since I am past 40 by a few years, well, more than a few years. However, I really think it might simply be that they are inclined to mind their own business since I don't bother them, which is a good philosophy as far as I am concerned.
I kind of like being able to observe without discussion, contemplate without commentary, and simply to rest without explaining why I am not being productive. There are picnic benches and tables where I sometimes sit, but often I simply pull out the folding chair I keep in the trunk of my car, set it up in a nice spot, and watch the sailboats pass by. I can actually feel my muscles uncoil, and my eyes relax as I watch them glide smoothly over the water. I wonder about the thoughts of the sailors and rowers as they maneuver their crafts through the cool water, and whether or not they contemplate who I am and why I am watching them. The water of this lake is very deep, and there is tinge of fear when I see a sailboat tip far to one side. There have been many drownings in this lake over the years, and I don't want to be a witness to one.
Sometimes I take a book with me, but most of the time when I do, I end up not reading it. It seems like such a waste of God's beautiful creation to bury my eyes in a book that can be cozily read while I am curled up in my soft bed at night. It is almost as if I am a dying person voraciously trying to capture every sight and sound that I possibly can before they are seized from me forever.
Sometimes there are geese that fly in for a few hours of rest on their journey, and sometimes I take some stale bread to feed them, but usually I don't. I just watch them, listen to their honking conversations with one another and think about all the places they have seen. It must be wonderful to simply fly away to a new landscape whenever one desires, without worrying about luggage, tickets, or body searches.
This is my little area of paradise, my retreat, my little plot of escape, and even when I cannot go there, I can shut my eyes and recapture its peace and the sense of being far away where worries and cares do not exist.
For a glimpse of this area, click on the following link: https://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/campus-recreation/cubeach/events.html
Copyright 2014 Violet Rebecca Jones
I welcome all comments, suggestions, and questions. Please share.
ReplyDelete