For as long as I can remember…when things got stressful…I wanted to run away from 
home…
As a preschooler…that meant…running away to…Aunt Lizzie’s house…she lived about a quarter mile up the dirt road from us…I never made it all the way…there was a small tree about halfway…it was there that I would stop to rest…and…Mama…would retrieve me…with a spanking and a hug…and…a grave promise from me…not to do that again…
Of course…I lied…
I can remember…lying in bed…as a teenager…experiencing…all the angst…that a hormonal girl can feel…and…wanting to hop in my 1959 VW Beetle…and hit the road…fortunately…I never did that…but…the longing was always there…
During my divorce…from my once husband…the need to flee…became great…and…I did…I ran away from home…well…not really…people knew where I was…my kids were taken care of…but…I did take a long weekend to St. Simmons Island…and…it felt like…running away…
Years later…going through a particularly stressful time at work…getting ready for a JCAHO survey…and…some personal issues…I wanted to…BOLT…but…it was a time…that I had…neither…time…nor…money…to do so…
Just before all sanity left me…a little voice…yes…I’m sure it was…Bertha…even though I didn’t know her at the time…said…why not run to Sipsey…
Sipsey…of course…the Bankhead National Forest…and…Sipsey Wilderness…are minutes from my house…I’ve been going there…since I was a toddler…
I donned all my winter garments…including a pair of oversized bright orange coveralls…and…hit the trails…I remember…the freedom…and release…I felt that day…it was the perfect escape…
And…just in case…I needed any confirmation…I found my name…carved…in stone…on a huge rock…jutting out into the water…the perfect spot…for contemplation…
Bertha…says…that…there’s nothing wrong with my need to…run away…that…it is actually a good thing…to give myself the space I need…to recharge…to sort things out…when things get stressful…
She just reminds me…to be selective in how I do it…to choose ways…that actually…recharge me…rather…than adding more stress to my life…
And…Sipsey…still fits that bill…to a tee…
Jane
I am glad you have your spot to ‘run away’ and take time for yourself. I do the same thing, with my own local spot. There is a sense of peace going to somewhere that we feel we know so well…
I know, Christy…I think it has kept me sane…well…that is up for debate…but…closer to sane… 😉