The tranquil, rocking pace soothed her. Relaxing the rein, her horse dropped his head to forge on. Behind them, the pack mule loaded with a month’s supplies followed. The trail through the trees took the trio to a meadow alive with wildflowers, where they stopped at the creek before heading into the rolling hills, to the lake and the cabin camouflaged by trees, hidden, except to those who knew of its existence. A deep sigh escaped her. The meadow view from the veranda and the tranquil pace of her rocking chair had become the summer sabbaticals she longed for.
The passing years of life, of time, and aging have a way of removing the things we took for granted and now cherish far more than the existence of what we have today. We reminisce as if it were yesterday when we rode horseback through the meadows and hills, swam in the creek, and actually lived without stores being open 24/7/365. The things we once thought we would do or have forever, are mostly no longer attainable for one reason or another. Trips to the land that we were certain would never change, slap us in the face with such gut wrenching feelings when we see those places no longer exist. Changed forever because of so-called prosperity.
Taking the time to somehow record those long ago, far away times, may seem like a huge undertaking, and I suppose it is, but do it! Those snippets of you, your life, and how you remember the landscape are part of not only your heritage, but the history of the land and those who were with you. Your stories, and the ones told to you, will remind others of their lives and spawn more stories, and more importantly, history will not be lost.
January 2, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a sabbatical. Who needs one or has had one? What kind of tension could a rest create? Where can a break take your story? Go where the prompt leads!
|
Ann Edall-Robson
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life “Capturing moments others may never get to experience.” |
#AnnEdallRobson #FromWhereICome #99WordStories #FlashFiction #farmerslife #ranchtradition #sabbatical #ridingaway #tranquilpace #summerbreak #recordyourhistory #MoonRisingAnEclecticCollectionOfWorks #connectwithnature #graveltravel #wanderthetrails #inspiredbynature #ConnectWithThePast #storiesofthepast #CapturingMomentsOthersMayNeverGetToExperience #CozyMysteries #cookbooks #PromptWriting #WesternHeritage #TheOldWays #RanchCulture #BeginningToEnd #RuralLiving #WhoaBackUpStop #AnnEdallRobsonPhotography #fromwhereicomefrom
Leave a Reply