In Touch With Nature

Get in touch with nature is many times suggested as an antidote for what ails you. I have a “secret” spot where I do just that. I like people, but I also like solitude. I found my spot close by the St. Charles apartment building where we live. It has a water feature with a small fountain in the middle. The preformed plastic pond is surrounded by flat rocks so it looks like it was a natural pond (almost). Someone has added two statues of St. Francis on each side. A new ceramic frog also turned up this year. I seat on the bench in front and enjoy the sound of running water, the shade of the tree overhead, and the privacy of the spot.

Actually there are many places around the Charlestown campus suitable for a pause that refreshes. There are benches under shade trees in many locations. A special area that is set apart from the rest of the campus is the Memorial Woods and Memory Walk. An area by the front gate was set aside for the planting of trees dedicated to family members who had died. Now the brick-lined Memory Walk curves through the trees.  Dan and I donated a brick in memory of my parents in 2013. There is a dedication of new bricks in the Memory Walk in the Spring and again in the Fall. The grounds here are beautifully maintained by a dedicated grounds crew. And I don’t have to lift a finger to weed, fertilize or prune.