Saying Goodbye to My Park (Place Entry #6)

I went to say goodbye to my park today. I guess it's more like a see you later. I still have a week left in Utah and I'm sure I will stop by this park before I go. I see it everyday, even if it's from a distance.

I have a hard time saying goodbye.

I'm walking through my park at 8:30 p.m. It is 86 degrees outside, at least that is what my phone is reporting back to me. It feels cooler than that. This summer hasn't been too hot in Utah. We have yet to reach the 100's which the last few years is unheard of. I am grateful.

I'm walking through patches of dried, hay yellow grass to get to my tree. The grass has been cut from it's roots and left to dry out in the sun. Even though the there are brown patches of deadened grass spotting the park, resembling sand traps on golf courses, the park is surprisingly still green. As I get closer to my tree the faint sounds of crickets becomes loud and surround sound.

I take a seat by my tree and look up at the gray sky. There are hints of pink delicately placed against the back drop. A cool summer breeze is my welcomed guest for the evening. I look across the park to the mountains in the distance. They are so green they appear blue. The brown stoned peaks are finally visible. They have been covered with snow for most of the summer.

This has been a crazy summer. I have learned so much about myself, especially with the alone time I get at my park. I am grateful for my park. I don't want to say goodbye. I don't want to say goodbye to my tree. I don't want to say goodbye to my view of the mountains. I don't want to say goodbye to the dry heat. I don't want to say goodbye the trees I've come to lean on. I don't want to say goodbye. Saying goodbye seems so final. I didn't want to say goodbye to Pittsburgh and so I didn't, I said, see you soon. I will see Pittsburgh soon and I am happy, but there is still a pit in my stomach when I think about saying goodbye to my park.

I have a hard time saying goodbye.