I am doing Meredith Lewis (@dangerousmere) creative challenge and today’s creative prompt is “What Happens Next?”

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After spending the day walking through a lush forest near my home, I began to feel like myself again. I felt the cool, clean damp air enter my lungs and be expelled with every breath taking away the tension I imagined as black tar in my insides.

When I told Ray I wanted some time and space away from him and our two young children, I was anxious.

Worried he would think me a bad mother for wanting to be alone when everyone needed me.

Surely, that’s not what I’m supposed to do? I’m reliable, dependable, super woman.

I’m tired.

All I want is to breathe.

Just a little time for myself and my own thoughts.

Out of my window, the forest at the end of the street beckoned me.

I didn’t wait for Ray’s response so this morning, I threw some food and a bottle of water into my back pack and walked out the door answering the forest’s call.

With every step into the forest I felt myself becoming lighter. I could hear were the sounds of birds above me and the snap of dry leaves and twigs under my feet.

I could breathe. I was alone.

<Crack>

I turned my head at the noise and felt my heart stop. The rustling continued but I couldn’t make out what it was without getting up close to face it.

Hiding behind a tree, I peered out and for a moment I had to close and open my eyes again to believe what I was seeing.

There was someone dressed as a soldier, helmet and all, lugging heavy sand bags over a trench he had built.

Who was he?

I sat there behind the tree and watched this man. I assumed he, like me wanted his time and space reclaimed. We’re all living with something we need to do; whether it’s walking in a forest or dressing up as a soldier and build a trench.

His actions of building a simple shelter were mesmerising, hypnotic and peaceful. As I watched him build the trench, I realised what was missing in my life.

The simple enjoyment that goes into building something for ourselves using only the resources that our natural environment provides for us.