Getting Out of the River
Leaving the city
The city sidewalks were crowded as Stephanie walked to her appointment. It was like she was swimming through a river of thoughts. Every one of the people she passed on the sidewalk was thinking, thinking, thinking. She could not hear the words of those thoughts but she could feel the thoughts and they were mostly negative.
Stephanie walked at a leisurely pace while everyone else seemed in a hurry. People walking towards her whizzed by her and people walking in her direction were passing her and quickly disappearing into the crowd up ahead. She was repeatedly being bumped by the shoulders of those furious to get where they were going.
She wished she was out in nature rather than immersed in a human river. Though she tried to remain as calm and peaceful as possible, her body could not help but react to the intense chaotic energy around her.
Being bombarded with the energy of everyone’s thoughts, Stephanie decided to project only words with the opposite energy; Calm. Peaceful. Soothing. Relaxing. Peace. Love. Joy. Happy. Gliding. Flowing. Serenity. Slow. Tranquility… She repeated the words in her mind but it seemed to have little to no effect on anyone but her.
Finally she reached her destination and entered a building. The lobby was full of people. She kept repeating the calming words as she rode a crowded elevator up to the twenty-second floor.
The office was calm and quiet. The words stopped in her thinking.
“Hello Stephanie,” said a woman sitting behind a desk.
“Hi Barb,” Stephanie sat in a chair in front of the desk, placing her purse in her lap.
“Well, I think I finally found something you might like. It’s a position of educational coordinator at a wildlife refuge out west in Wyoming. You’d be the liaison between the refuge and the public plus you’ll be in charge of the summer program for children that gives them a hands-on nature experience.”
“Oh my god! That sounds perfect.”
“It’s way out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town is like twenty-five miles away.”
“That’s even more perfect.”
“We would need to send you out there right away so that you can conference with the outgoing director and learn how the children’s program works. The summer program begins in just two weeks so they’ll need to get you up to speed post haste. You’ll be given living quarters at the refuge administrative complex so there won’t be any commuting.”
“Oh yippee! No crowded sidewalks or long drives.”
“No. The closest the place comes to being crowded is when the buses of children arrive.”
“Buses of children? Oh, I’m so excited!”
“Seriously, Stephanie, you’re a young, attractive and intelligent woman. You could command a much higher salary here in the city. And I can’t imagine there being much of a night life or dating scene out there in the boonies.”
“Barb, I’m perfectly okay with that — and not just okay but thrilled! I feel trapped and isolated from the world here in the city. Heck, I’ve got to walk nine blocks from my apartment just to see a tree. I prefer plants and animals over concrete, steel and glass. And I prefer children to adult humans. They are not already totally ruined. Working with children I feel that I can make a difference in their lives. Most adults are beyond repair.”
“Yeah, well some of us are city folks. I can’t imagine living outside the city,” Barb pulled a folder out of a desk drawer. “Here’s a packet of information about the refuge and the area, including recommendations for appropriate clothing. I hear the winters are brutal. I’ll have a plane ticket waiting for you at the gate the day after tomorrow and I’ll email the center to let them know you’re coming. They’ll send a ranger out to the airport to pick you up.”
Stephanie took the folder and crammed it into her purse, “Thank you, Barb. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Okay then, it looks like I finally found you something. If it doesn’t work out you know where my office is. Just think, in a couple of days you’ll be out in the middle of the wilderness.”
Stephanie was practically trembling with excitement as she stood and shook Barb’s hand, “Thanks again.”
She did not repeat calming words in her mind on the walk home. She was too excited to. She was bubbling with joy and anticipation knowing that she would very soon be out of the city. In her mind she could see tall trees and babbling brooks and animals scampering about. She could practically feel Mother Earth and see the faces of small children. Looking up around her, she said good-bye to all the tall buildings. She was about to be free.
She floated over the sidewalks and through the river of humans blissfully unaware of all their energy-draining thoughts. She was finally getting what she wanted.
But then, just a few blocks from her apartment, she was overcome with a negative thought as she realized there was something she had to do before getting on that plane. It was something she intensely dreaded doing. It would not be easy.
She had to say good-bye to her boyfriend.
But soon that negative thought turned positive as she once again thought about the joy that awaited her on the other side of that good-bye.
Copyright by White Feather. All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction.
Speaking of making life changes…