By Jennifer Deese

The day started bright and sunny, her coffee was smooth, just the way she loved it. The outside beckoned. Her need to submerge herself in Mother Nature’s earthly embrace was poignant and urgent. Roxie quickly finished her morning routine and donned the active wear she preferred for hikes along the mountain trails surrounding her property. She felt she was on the edge of something monumental but, for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what. Shaking off the feeling, she stepped off the veranda…reveling in the soft, spongy feel of rich earth beneath her sneakers. Taking a deep breath of the refreshing air, Roxie headed for the trail head. Again, she had to push away the feeling that something was looming above her head. Instead, she allowed nature to soothe away life’s hectic worries and chaotic events. After a few stretches, she was off for the needed exertion of a long hike.

Twenty minutes into her journey, as she was rounding a bend in the trail, she noticed an elderly woman walking towards her. The woman locked eyes with her, and in an instant, she liked this stranger – immediately she felt a deep connection. As the two women walked towards one another, the woman flashed a welcoming smile, waving as if they were old friends. Roxie smiled in reply. “Hello”’ said the woman “I was looking to have a seat, and enjoy a bite to eat. I’ve got plenty, would you care to join me?” Before she knew it, and without knowing why, Roxie said yes – something she would normally never have done. She followed the lady to a patch of flat grass,  in a clearing, on the side of the trial. Her brain was having trouble grasping the fact that she had so readily agreed to a picnic with a total stranger. Usually cautious, over cautious actually, impulsive behaviors were a stranger to Roxie. From childhood, she had always been hesitant to open or to be impulsive and carefree, to the point of causing others to steer away from her company. She tended to come off as closed, and unwelcoming That trait had carried over into her adulthood, and if she were to be completely honest with herself she would even say it was the very reason she was still alone in her mid-thirties She had never been in a relationship, in fact, it was rare for any of her first dates to ask for a second. She was well aware that this particular quirk in her personality was handicapping her, it was robbing her of living a full, and satisfying life. To counter that she submerged herself in her work, filling every little void with work, work and… more work in a feeble attempt to chase away the moments of loneliness.

The sandwiches the woman offered were delicious. The lemonade was refreshing. After thanking the woman, Roxie lay back to look up at the sky – wondering what had made her so easily agree to join a stranger for lunch, out in the middle of nowhere. The woman cleared her throat and asked Roxie if she would be willing to listen to her talk a bit. “I so rarely get to chat with others. “My life has been lived mostly alone. I never married, never did much outside of my comfort zone”, the old lady said with a sigh. “And I would so love to just talk to another person for a bit. Would that be okay with you?”, she asked, peering intently at Roxie. Again, Roxie was compelled to comply, something in the aged eyes, and wrinkled face of this stranger rang the bell of familiarity.

“I’ve gained a lot of hindsight wisdom in my years,” the woman stated, “And I have found that when you second guess yourself you make unchangeable changes in your fate. The failure to move beyond what is comfortable to you, and hesitations to make a bold move will cost you a lifetime of