If you need a day to reflect, there is nothing better than wandering deep into a garden forest where there are only sounds of trickling streams and your footsteps. It’s okay to even get a bit lost because, as Resort Girls, sometimes you need to get lost to find your path.
As a writer, many days this Resort Girl needs a place for reflection and inspiration, and a garden forest is a perfect place. So, last weekend, seeking a scenic drive and place to ponder on a glorious sunny day, I hopped in my trusty SUV and headed to the majestic Gibbs Gardens.
It is located near my old stomping grounds, Big Canoe, and just a short ride outside the Atlanta city limits or from the North Georgia area. A daily pass is only $20, and they also have great deals on a 4-season pass.
This garden is a lifelong dream of entrepreneurial landscaper Jim Gibbs. In his garden brochure letter, Mr. Gibbs welcomes you by saying:
“Gibbs Gardens started out as a 300-acre private family estate in 1980, but I always had the dream of creating a world-class public garden. For more than 30 years I designed and developed the land, creating 220 acres of landscaped gardens adjacent to spring-fed streams, ponds and lakes, surrounded by the hillsides covered with mature woodlands.With this magnificent scenery as my canvas, I’ve been committed to achieving a balance between natural and man-made elements to create ‘harmony with nature’ throughout Gibbs Gardens.”
It was water lily season at Gibbs. The blossoms floating amongst the ponds are a seasonal sighting – right out of a Monet painting.
As this RG looked into the pond, what I saw made me ponder. Maybe a Resort Girl’s reflection can give a new direction? Sometimes we need to reflect on our life and see if we are heading down the right path and in the right direction.
That is when reflection is needed. Others see things we may not, but maybe the quiet of only hearing your footsteps can turn up the volume on things others have been saying to you. With the busy lives so many Resort Girls – and their families – now live, it is hard to see the truth of where we are heading and how we are getting there.
It takes turning off the computer and the TV and heading outdoors or to a quiet place, were there is nothing else other than your thoughts and the sound of your own footsteps. In this quiet space, you might hear in your mind the sound of some advice given to you recently that you may have failed to before. You may hear the sweet voices of family members who have said they love you and were concerned about you; voices drowned out by your busy daily grind. You may also discover a health issue that becomes noticeable when all of your senses are in gear and you have time to feel or a career choice that might be time to upgrade or reset. It’s also always a great time to connect with your spiritual side to see if you are getting lost….
So, Resort Girls, find a majestic garden to get a bit lost in to keep you on track and maybe you might just change your path.
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