Happenings

Seeking Peace and Tranquility

Deep within my heart, attached securely to my soul I harbor a dream.  A powerful dream of peace and tranquility that defines me and connects generations.  Often, the stresses, worries, and fears of everyday life overwhelm me and I forget that peace and tranquility do exist…somewhere. In my dream, those worries are blown away in the wind.  The beauty of this dream is that it has already been found, already been lived, yet has not been fully attained.  The beauty of this dream is that it always awaits me in a tiny cabin, nestled deep in the wilderness of Mammoth Lakes, California.

As a child, I spent summers with my grandparents at their cabin in Mammoth Lakes.  Owning this cabin had been a dream of theirs, a little hideaway from the stresses of the world.  Though I didn’t appreciate it then, I realize now how lucky I was that they included me in their dream and ironically, their dream lead me to mine.  Each summer, I couldn’t wait for the long drive up the dusty, winding mountain roads to the cabin.  My days there were spent traipsing through the woods, splashing in nearby creeks, and lounging lazily on the front porch with my grandparents.  Those magical moments  are what I remember most.  There was just something special about the beauty and the sense of enchantment and belonging I felt while resting peacefully beneath the towering pine trees who whispered sweet songs and danced gracefully in the wind just for me.

A few years ago, shortly after my Grandmommy’s death, I returned to the cabin with my own children.  As we drove up the same dusty, winding mountain roads, I expected to feel sadness at the realization that without Grandmommy, the dream was not complete.  Instead, I found clarity deep inside me.  I spent the days there traipsing through the familiar woods and splashing in nearby creeks with my children.  At the end of each day we lounged lazily on the front porch, the three of us experiencing a feeling of enchantment and sense of belonging while resting peacefully beneath the towering pine trees who whispered sweet songs and danced gracefully in the wind just for us.  That was when I realized the dream was complete.  The sense of belonging, the enchantment, the magic were all created by the beauty of the wind blowing away our stresses, worries, and fears…leaving peace and tranquility behind.   I finally understood, this was the dream my grandparents had lovingly passed on to me.

Now, each summer, my children and I drive up the same dusty, winding mountain roads to escape a hectic, stressful world.  My children may not understand the dream yet, but they know there is something special about the cabin and the towering, whispering, dancing trees.  I am so thankful that I can pass this dream on to my children and that we can always return, for our dream is calling…the cabin is calling…peace and tranquility await us there.