Her Space

The forest path was narrow and worn. The canopy was thick giving an intense greenish cast to the ground below. Ferns, mosses and other small plants grew amongst the trees and along the path. She traveled the path often and always veered off to the right before climbing the set of steps. At the veer in the path there was always a large black bear nearby. The bear always stopped to watch her but never tried to harm her. The big thick stone block steps were gray limestone and slightly worn. There were seven steps that led up to a small stone landing with a door. On either side of the door was the forest, looking the same as one would expect if the door wasn’t even there. The door was heavy with a deep weathered charcoal gray color. The door knob was a rusty oval.  In spite of the aged look of the door it always swung open and closed easily for her.

Once inside she would continue on a path that ran uphill a distance with a gentle slope. The trees seemed to allow more light through their leaves just inside the door. There was a river just to her left that produced gentle bubbling sounds as it worked its way downhill. As she neared the top of the hill the forest thinned and opened up to a beautiful meadow. Her face felt warmed by the kiss of sunshine. She gazed up at the magnificent blue sky that was blessed with a dabbling of fluffy white clouds. Sunlight always shone down upon the meadow brightly but was never too hot. The river had spread out and appeared to not be moving at all. The surface of the water mirrored the trees and purple mountains in the distance on the other side. Colorful ducks swam lazily near the bank cutting v-shaped wakes that glittered like diamonds in the serene waters. She turned toward the meadow full of cheery flowers displaying a wide variety of yellows, oranges, pinks, whites, purples and blues. She loved the explosion of colors impressed by how vibrant her favorite flowers seemed on this side of the door. She admired them and smelled them but she never picked them because she couldn’t bear to hurt them. She traveled down the dirt path to a very large gnarly oak tree. Some days she would be greeted by animals as she walked the path. Often those were animals that had been near and dear to her heart. Sometimes they were wild animals that greeted her, but they never scared her and they always spoke.

In the distance beyond the tree there was more forest, but pine this time, covering the foothills and mountains in the distance. She would arrive at the tree that provided a cool green shade most of the day. Here under the oak’s umbrella she would sit and wait. Some days loved ones would visit her. They would talk and often she cried because she had missed them so. On other days, people that she had no recollection of before coming here, would visit with her. They would answer her questions and advise her. They were always kind, gentle and calming. Once in a while she would just sit here and soak up everything that she could see, hear and smell.

Some visits were longer than others, but inevitably she would always have to go back through the door. She always saw bear at the bottom of the stairs waiting, guarding her path and she thanked him. Her cheeks would often be damp with tears as she left, not because she was sad but rather her heart was filled with love and her mind with new information. She always felt stronger and more empowered after being on the other side of the door.