The Simple Luxury of a Stolen Moment
There are schedules, deadlines, and the endless hum of the daily grind. And then there are moments that feel stolen from time itself. This afternoon, under the vast Ontario sky, I found one of those moments in the simplest, most profound way: I took a nap in a park.
It wasn’t planned. A walk through Belleville’s Victoria Park, with the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the grass, was meant to be just that—a walk. But I found a welcoming patch of shade under a grand old maple, the kind with roots that have seen generations come and go. The gentle breeze off the Bay of Quinte whispered through the leaves, and the distant laughter of children playing near the fountain felt like the perfect, lulling soundtrack.
So, I gave in. With my bag as a makeshift pillow, I lay back and just…stopped.
There’s a unique magic to dozing off outdoors. It's a surrender to your surroundings. The digital world of notifications and emails dissolves, replaced by the analog sensory inputs of the real world. I felt the warmth of the filtered sunlight on my face, heard the lazy buzz of a bee investigating a nearby clover, and smelled the rich, earthy scent of the summer lawn. For twenty minutes, maybe more, I wasn't a person with a to-do list; I was just another part of a peaceful summer landscape.
Waking up was a slow, gentle affair. No jarring alarm, just a gradual return to awareness. The world felt softer, the colours a little richer. That familiar feeling of being mentally refreshed and physically grounded washed over me.
In our quest for grand vacations and elaborate self-care routines, we sometimes forget the power of the small, unscheduled pause. The profound luxury of giving yourself twenty minutes in a public space, claiming a small patch of green as your own temporary sanctuary, is immeasurable. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most restorative thing you can do costs nothing and requires no reservation. Find a tree, listen to the breeze, and steal a moment for yourself. You won’t regret it.
Connect... Gordon GordonBufton@Proton.me @GordonBufton33