Sunday Spotlight: The Pond is Our Oasis

Each Sunday, I want to take a step away from daily politics and focus on someone who has done extraordinary things or who we may need to know a little better. This week’s focus is on Bear Pond.

This past week was so tumultuous that I had difficulty finding someone or thing positive to highlight this Sunday. It is exasperating to see the number of current and impending issues we face. Crime, illegal immigration, inflation, rising gas prices, supply chain issues, infant formula shortage, upcoming global wheat shortage…the list seems to go on ad Infinitum.

As I talk with family, friends, and coworkers, I see the impact on the attitude and mental health of each. There is a general feeling of helplessness that we are powerless to impact the forces bearing down on us. There is a general feeling of anger and frustration that the people we have put in office to ward off these forces of negativity are inept and unmotivated to react. The futility that surrounds us is wearing us down. We have to find our relief from the evil news onslaught.

We find our respite in a little cabin on a small pond in Maine that we are making into our oasis. That is our destination each weekend. Even as we traveled up 95 on Friday afternoon, we could still see the impact of negative influences. We braced for a challenging ride as the northbound road should have been packed with anxious travelers. After an unusually cold week, the weekend weather was predicted to be in the 90s. There was no traffic as the high gas prices and inflation took their toll on travelers, but the pond and peace were waiting.

We immediately felt the positive vibes of the pond. We launched our small pontoon boat, with which we were not entirely familiar. The engine tried but would not turn over. Some fellow boaters offered advice, and some even offered to tow us across the pond to our dock. People saw a problem and immediately responded. I logged onto YouTube, found the issue, and the motor purred to life. The boat, Simplicity, gave us a beautiful, tranquil afternoon on the water. It was just what the doctor ordered.

We ended the night with a beautiful dinner with family and friends. The conversation was light and easy. We touched on politics but more on the pond and pond life. As we sat down for dinner, we joined hands for Grace, and I felt a feeling of tranquility surround me. I was with the most significant person in my life, sharing the moment with family and friends. This peaceful moment and feeling are why we drive up 95 every Friday afternoon.

The pond works for us and gives us a chance to cleanse our minds before the reality of Monday morning returns. We all have to find our pond, our oasis, to escape reality. We will survive the current state of affairs because that is what we are, Americans and survivors.

Thank you for sharing these private thoughts this morning. This week’s Sunday Spotlight is not a person but is just as important. The Spotlight is on Peace of Mind. It may be the essential tool in our box as we do all we can, and is necessary to find the light to lead us forward.