Open Fields

Open Fields

When I think back to the days when I was a child, I think about all of my wonderful childhood memories. Often I wish to go back, back to that point in life when everything seemed simpler. Sometimes I think about it too much, knowing I cannot return. Yet, there is still one place I can count on to bring me back to that state of mind, my grandparents' house.

There is something to be said about lying on one's back in an open field hour upon hour, staring up at a vast, blue sky. With no one around and not another house for miles, it is a great place to be alone, to listen. In the country, I can pick up all the wonderful sounds of nature commonly lost amidst the bustle of the city. The wind speaks as it blows across the land, whistling through the trees. Crickets rub their wings in song for anyone to hear. An unseen friend scurries beneath the fallen leaves, as an owl above questions who is there.

Heading back towards the house, I soak in all the beauty of the surrounding landscape. There are towering groves of trees, creek beds lined with wildflowers emitting delightful fragrances, and sunsets that astound. Still, I walk cautiously. For all of nature’s beauty, trouble can still take form out here, whether it is running into a slithering snake or stumbling across a prickly thistle. Looking further into the distance, I spot the horses gracefully galloping along, their sleek manes dancing across their powerful bodies. As I pass the pond, I skip a stone across the water and I think about all the "real" stories the pond could tell of the ones that got away.

Along side its banks I hear a familiar sound, as the bullfrogs' bellows lead the way for nightfall. The night will bring the cool country air, and with it the thick aroma of the wood-burning stoves. On some evenings, if I am lucky enough, some warm apple-butter jam may even be waiting for me back at the house.

Now that I am older, I look for changes. I have grown to expect them. My grandparents will soon be gone, but the memories of the land they live on and I grew up on will always be with me.