Eternity

It was a beautiful summer day. I used my lunch hour to go walking in the woods. I planned to hike to the waterfall to mediate and write. And just be. I needed a break from all the stresses in my life. I needed time to withdraw into myself without needing to explain why.

As I walked, I could feel the surroundings soothing my soul. There was a soft breeze amongst the trees that was cooling despite the summer heat. There was a symphony of sound all around me: rustling leaves, singing birds calling to one another, the flap of bird’s wings, the gurgling of the brook next to which I walked. As I got closer to the falls, I could hear the swish of the water falling, splashing, pounding against the rocks.

I was thrilled to note that I was alone when I arrived at my favorite rock beneath the waterfall. I closed my eyes and lay back to enjoy the moment of peace.

As I lay there, I slowly began to notice a change in the air. It had become very still. And cold. The leaves, the birds, even the water, had become silent. The world had gone quiet. Too quiet. I opened my eyes to find a world that should not have been. Everything was motionless, ice crystals glistening from withered green leaves hanging low in trees bent under the sudden weight. The waterfall was a beautiful sculpture of cascading ice, unmoving.

I swiftly pulled out my journal and began to write. I felt the numbness in my feet moving up my legs and knew time was short. I, too, would soon be a part of this frozen landscape, a mere memory. If that. I had gone seeking time, a moment of peace, and found, instead, eternity.