My Reflections in the Stone
The journal prompt for our excursion to Stonehenge asked us to take a moment of reflection. When I felt ready to look back on the past month, I was standing in the middle of the circular path encompassing the monument. My timing was terrible. The cold had completely numbed my hands and forced my cute little nose to run. The only thoughts that passed through my mind were “Oh My God! I am so cold!”, “My hands are gone!”, and “All the tissues in the world could not stop this explosion of snot!” My ponderings were rudimentary and hyperbolic. There wasn’t a single thought of the masterpieces I had encountered or the exquisite experiences I had enjoyed. My inability to harness my mind frustrated me. Now, I was cold, annoyed, and ready to abandon my muddled meditations.
The ancient stones filled with silence and mystery captured my attention entirely. All my petty thoughts stilled. Bewildered by the surprising tranquility that overtook me, I gasped. The cold air rushed into my lungs so that I had to gasp again to catch my breath. A slow, deliberate thought formed. I was happy. The cold and the chaos could not taint that happiness. It was a joy that grew from the moments when I was totally engrossed in the vibrant, dynamic brushstrokes of Picasso, playing silly pranks in London’s busy street, or tasting delicious meals flavoured by savory conversation. That is how I thought and felt about this trip.
A crow flew frighteningly close to my face. My moment of reflection was finished.
-Liz Pickard
