Finding The Oasis

Places within reach, that offer respite from the world.

The hot afternoon sun was baking the stone faces of the mountains. Causing them to exhale deeply, and blow an exacerbated wind eastward. Anyone traveling west along the trail faced a significant headwind. The kind that was dry. Devoid of any cooling factor. Taking with it, any bead of sweat it could.

It was where I found myself. Having closed out the day, and still hearing the noise clutter my head. My mind needed clearing. It would take several miles of riding to do so properly.

Luckily on this day, the heat would drive the casual trail goer indoors. And for myself, respite was not hard to reach. One spot in particular. The water there flowed steady. A consistent pour over the rocks. Just loud enough to be heard from the trail. Dropping the bike, making the rest of the way on foot to the resting spot. On final approach the sound would grow. The stream eventually even drowning out most of the wind. All becoming a part of one symphony. It opened in a clearing. The large pool dotted with wildflowers and grasses. All bending to the rhythm of the wind and current.

Still, I needed to go a bit further.

Shoes and socks neatly left on the bank. Wading in. The cool water made its way past my ankles, Then shins. Before leveling out just below the knees. It was a stark contrast to the sun beating down on my shoulders. Even though I was no longer on the main trail, I was compelled to continue westward. Going further upstream. The shrub around the banks here grew thicker. The canopy of the trees stretched over. Their branches shielding from the sun, and walling out most of the breeze. The water flowed a bit stronger here, and the current made tiny waves against my legs. It was gently lapping against them, like a dog offering comfort.

And it was there I paused.

Just ahead, a length of stones rose to just beneath the surface of the water. It created ripples, distorting the colors and patterns of the rocks below. Audibly changing it to a trickle. It joined the steady flow from downstream. In this spot, the grass was well over the line of sight. Only the trees above them were visible. The stronger gusts shaking their branches. Adding to the harmony a dry percussion.

My bike, the trail, even my shoes on the bank were all out of view. Outside that place of water, stone and grass, existed nothing. The bullshit of the day had been whisked downstream or picked up by the wind. And like the sweat drying on my brow, it would dissipate into nothing more than vapors.

And while there, as the minutes drifted along, a thought eventually would float down the water and into my mind…would this be an oasis?

The word conjures vast spaces of desolate land. To reach the spot of shade and water you must first trek through the unforgiving terrain. Reaching it and the cool waters within, give the most parched throat relief. And with it, a sense of rejuvenation. But does it need to be a spot that is difficult to reach? Wouldn’t any place that offers a sense of refuge from a hectic world, still suffice? And why can’t those places be well within our reach?

As long as there are trees, with branches wide enough to cast shade. The vegetation thick enough to shroud the world from view. We can think of these places, or ones like it, as our oasis. The place that provides peace and sanity when the rest of the world does not. The more access to nature we have, the more likely we are to find such a place. We seek them out, when our bodies and minds feel parched. Worn down. Feeling drained by the journey of life. Seeking out the space to revive us. So, we return from them, better for having done it. Better than any technological advanced experience could even try to replicate.

And knowing that this place, and every place like it, needs to be protected.