Peace of Mind
When you are feeling stressed what do you do? Do you exercise? Eat? Do you have a girls’ or guys’ night out? Maybe you sleep it off, or vent to a close friend or family member. Personally, I have resorted to each of the methods mentioned as a way to relieve stress. The one I use most often, though, is just getting fresh air and giving myself free time and space away from the world to simply relax and think.
One of my favorite places to visit and de-stress is the beach. Often, I will go out to Tybee Island with a blanket, my phone, a book or my laptop, and a pair of earbuds, then just sit on a swing or one of the walkway benches and allow myself to wash away with the breeze. Nothing is more relaxing than watching the waves as they come in and feeling the sun warm your skin.
Another place I often frequent is the park. Living on the Southside of Savannah, I found that Lake Mayer was the most convenient location for me to sneak off to to clear my mind. Lake Mayer may not seem like the best place to go for a cleansing of the conscience considering that many families use the park facilities for gatherings and the walker-jogger-runners love taking advantage of the newly paved track that circumvents the park. For each of these reasons plus the fact that the park is not particularly large, Lake Mayer always appears to be busy or “packed”. I have found, however, that if you walk around the track to the side of the park where the actual lake sits, there is a bench perfectly perched near the trees that gives a breathtaking view of the lake and the many ducks that meander within it. Sticking to convenience I have used Lake Mayer as a place to purge my thoughts too many times to count.
Recently thanks to the suggestion of a friend, I have found myself venturing out and visiting Forsyth Park more in my efforts to relax. Forsyth, being much larger and frequented by those in the midtown and downtown areas of Savannah, is in my opinion the most kept park in the city (aside from the historic squares of downtown). This is understandable considering Forsyth Park is often the host of the local fairs, festivals, and outdoor concerts. On a good day, one of our perfect Savannah spring days, where the sun is out but not too bright and the temperature is resting in the mid-70s, you can sit in Forsyth Park and comfortably people watch to your heart’s content.
Today happens to be one of those good days, although the temperature is slightly cooler. Today, in fact, I was actually inspired by the nature of Armstrong State University’s campus to compose this blog post. Sitting in one of the University’s many courtyards admiring the strategically placed plants and trees, feeling the breeze and being kissed by the sun I thought: Where do my fellow Southerners go to take advantage of the wonderful weather we have and do you, too, allow yourselves to be nurtured by nature?
