The Refuge (Short Story Attempt) - Part I

She smiled and her eyes narrowed, squinting slightly, as she looked up from her gardening. The sunlight glistened along the tips of each blade of dew covered grass. The sun was warm and tender this time of year, like the feeling of wrapping oneself in a soft warm blanket that's been waiting for you, warming itself by the fire. It was spring time. The time of year when wherever you look, the evidence of new life would overwhelm you. The grass was fresh and new and tinted with the most vibrant hues of green. "Extraordinary," she thought. It was amazing how many shades of green there were, now that she had slowed down long enough to open her eyes in such a way that she not only looked, but she could actually see.

Its remarkable how many wonderful intricacies of creation there are around us that we look upon each day, but we never really see. Her thoughts wandered from the present and she was filled with wonder. "How much of this life have I missed?" she thought... Most of her life had been rushed, late, and over-scheduled perhaps. Hectic is another word that comes to mind. Life had always been the never ending list of "want to do's", "need to do's", and "have to do's." Always feeling too busy to choose to stop and perceive what beauty there was surrounding her.

She closed her eyes for just a moment, lifting her face toward the sunlight, as the warm beams poured over her. The earth was cool and she enjoyed the feeling of the damp soil beneath her knees. Who would've thought that something so simple, so free, could bring a person such a feeling of contentment and purpose?

This was her haven, her refuge. This was her garden. An oasis from the "desert" of real life. Her heart was at peace while she was here. Perhaps it was something almost primal, like the echo of instincts buried within from an age long gone. Perhaps it was the untainted, non-conditioned air. Even the smell of freshly disturbed soil held an interesting, yes even intriguing, and somehow vaguely familiar aroma. Perhaps it was some combination of all of these things, or perhaps it was something deeper.

(to be continued...)