I spent most of today helping my Dad lay shingles and, when I got the chance, I'd sit and relax or stand and feel the breeze blow against me.

It was up there that everything became clear.  I sat there and watched the trees sway in the wind and their shadows dance along the roof and side of the house.  I felt so content there, even though my hands were hurting from the sandpaper feel of the shingles.  I could smell a distant barbecue, and it felt so much like summer was just beginning again.  The birds sand and flew overhead. The leaves spun in the wind, making reflections of light that reminded me of the sunlight reflecting off the ocean.

I knew that I was in total peace, high above the world.  It didn't matter what I was doing.  Nothing could take that away from me.

Though I knew that school is approaching, I knew that I had that moment forever.  Wherever I go, whatever I do, I need only escape for a moment and run outdoors and I will be in my special place, my secret place that is my own.

Whether I'm sitting on a roof, playing in the sand, or just breathing in the same gentle breeze that softly dances through the trees, I know that everything will work out.  When my problems seem to much or school too hard, I have a place that I can run to.  I escape the flat world of dead walls and cold people, and find a place where everything is alive. The trees, the birds, the grass, the earth itself; it's all alive.  That is the life I seek and what I want for myself.  As long as I can find a tree, a bird, or a breath of fresh air, then I can come back to this place.  It doesn't matter how old I am or how old I become, what problems arise and tear at my life, what secrets I keep locked away from that flat world, or whatever burdens I leave behind.  I will always have this place:  Life.
 

I know this may surprise you, but ignore my site for a while and go outside.  After that, tell me what you think. [email protected]