heaven is under our feet

We went away. Far enough away that it was like a different world. A world where the nearest Starbucks is 35 minutes away. A world were there is nothing for vegetarians to eat (especially vegetarians with digestive issues). A world where "guns, bait, and ammo" seemed to be strong selling points. A world where Wal-Mart was the shopping mecca. It should have been a nightmare.

But...

We were high up atop the hills, in the woods. There weren't many other people around. There wasn't much noise at all, unless you count the birds and squirrels and other animals scampering about. We never once turned on the television (although we did turn on the computer). I slept 10 hours, 12 hours, and 12 hours for the three nights we were there. I stopped on a run to stand by a deer, then stopped again to wait for the group (flock? gaggle?) of pheasants to decide what side of the road they wanted to be on. We spent four or five hours each day hiking stunning, rugged trails, with the cold breeze and shining sun our only company. We sat in a mostly dry, rocky river bed and ate a gourmet lunch of granola bars and dried apricots. We stumbled back into our little room sore and smiling and happy. It was heaven.

And...

I came home rested, relaxed, feeling better, functioning (a little) better. And I hope, hope, hope that I can make this feeling last longer than just today.