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It was a hot day in July.
I was locked away in my air-conditioned apartment enjoying my fifth time of watching “Breaking Bad.” Most of my weekends are spent that way because … well, my weekends tend to be lazy.
But that day, it was a bad “lazy.” It’s the kind of lazy mixed with the right amount of boredom that makes being inside intolerable.
If anything will put me in a sour mood, it’s being bored.
I thumbed through my phone, and somewhere on Facebook, I saw something about the Falls Trail in Ricketts Glen State Park.
The next thing I knew, I had changed into jeans and some old boots, grabbed a protein bar and a single bottle of water, and made off for the trail.
Yeah, I can be spontaneous and random. That day, it proved to be a lot more than that.
For the record, if you decide to hike the Falls Trail, definitely take more than a single protein bar and bottle of water.
It took me about 45 minutes to make the trek out to the state park. My mind started to wander on the ride out, and I realized it had been a few months since my engagement ended. I started to reflect as I mindlessly changed the tracks on my MP3 player that played through my car. I handled the situation well up to that point, but all break-ups suck, and that one was no exception.
Being an engagement, it was a different experience.
I made the conscious decision to spend at least a few months alone. I wanted to get reacquainted with who I am in my solitude, as well as heal from the end of a long relationship.
By the time I got to the Falls Trail, my mind was restless. For a guy that loves to have answers and will analyze anything in an attempt to find them, not having answers is not acceptable.
When I got out of my car and took a breath of the fresh air, my mind cleared.
I started off on the hike, and when I looked at one of the big maps scribbled out on wood, I realized just how long it was — a respectable 3.2 miles. Regardless, I took a gulp from my water bottle and set off.
It was a surprisingly crowded day at the trail. Some looked to be locals sporting clothing from one of the local colleges, but others clearly appeared to be tourists from out of the area.
I navigated my way through the trail as the sun found its way across the sky. Thankfully, with most of the trail in wooded areas, it was a lot cooler than being out in the open. There was something calming about being out in the woods and looking at the waterfalls along the way.
Maybe it was being out of my element and away from the hustle-and-bustle of Wilkes-Barre that was just what the doctor ordered.
Then, I came across a ledge.
It was right next to a waterfall that overlooked a small pool of water down below. I could hear the excited chatter of people down below, some of which were posing for pictures or splashing each other with water to cool off.
Now, I’ve never been a fan of heights. I could tolerate them on amusement park rides, but anything other than that makes me dizzy.
Still, there was something about that ledge.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the ledge fairly close to the edge, and I was peering down below. The sounds of the waterfall and people chatting excitedly down below filled the air. It felt good to get off my feet after hiking so much, and the view was great.
I was surprisingly comfortable as I sat there taking everything in.
“Hey, do you want me to take your picture?” said a voice from a random hiker.
“Um, yeah, that’d be cool,” I said as I handed him my phone and he snapped a quick photo.
I sat there for a few more minutes taking everything in, and like my mind tends to do, it wandered back to the “real world.” It started back into what had happened in the months prior, and how I had a lot of wounds that needed to heal.
But in that moment, I was free. I felt a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in a long, long time, and I just sighed at how good it felt.
After asking myself for months “what am I going to do,” I found myself with an answer.
I stood up from the ledge, brushed off my backside and smiled.
“I’m going to be okay,” I thought.