When was the last time you soaked up the view from a hilltop? After reading Sandra Voelker’s creative writing, you’ll be inspired to do just that. Sandra’s inspiration came from the Sunday Writer’s Club Facebook prompt and photo below.
Prompt: For this week’s writing prompt all you need to do is climb into the photo (below) and explore… Have fun!
Meditations on the Hill
By Sandra Voelker
Up from the hill the valley is an endless green ocean, with rolling fields and dark green pastures interrupted by small islands of trees. The green sea melts into the horizon which is an eternity away. Everything seems endless, borderless, and there is a forever-sense in the air around me. A vast, deep-blue, northern sky provides cover and protection, white cumulus clouds floating by like cotton balls. Like two gentle creatures the sky and the earth meet in the distance, almost hugging each other, but not intruding into each other’s space.
I sense the vastness of nature and let myself be enveloped by the beauty of it, discarding my urban roots like old, dirty clothes. The little round shepherd’s hut on my right side is, at this very moment, the only reminder of civilization. Which is nonsense, I realize in the very back of my mind, because I am not overlooking a jungle or a primeval forest, still untouched by the most dangerous creature on earth – man.
These meadows and fields have been formed and shaped by humankind for thousands of years leaving behind not even an idea what this land might look like had humanity not entered the scene. What other creatures would roam these grounds, what species could still be found, what trees and flowers would grow and die and grow again?
My mind wants to let lose, to melt into the endlessness of my surroundings, become one with the green sea and blue sky. I want to turn into a puffy cloud floating around freely between this earth and the heavens, taking it all in, saving all the images and ideas and become bigger and fuller until I almost burst and then release all these impressions like a heavy fall thunderstorm releases its lightning, thunder and rain.
I am alone but not lonely and deeply content on this hill because in the vastness of the landscape I sense peace and a purpose of life itself. Earth and sky seem like good old friends, united through mutual trust and dependability and deep knowledge of each other. I think about friendship and what it means and what I want it to be.
Friendship should be like this horizon where earth and sky meet, loyal to each other, giving each other space, going forward and backward as needed. From their fundamental difference they draw strength and inspiration.
Friendship should provide peace of mind like this view, which is just here, without conditions, and which calms my excited mind.
Friendship should be like this house, standing firm and strong, braving the winds. Small rocks might fall out but the main structure is stable and defies all storms and rains.
Friendship should be like this land, constantly changing and yet staying the same. Accepting change when it comes and being able to adapt while the solid core remains intact.
Another cloud drifts by and I let my mind and thoughts wander off with it to have another look from above and enjoy, for a moment, the weightlessness of existence.
Then I am back on the ground, back in my head, startled by the restrictions of physicality, of my physical body and I want to cry, for I have been kicked out of paradise.
About Sandra Voelker
Sandra thinks writing is the most gratifying thing in the world and she wants to do more of it. Mostly she likes to write short stories but sometimes she just lets her thoughts run across the page. In her real life she works for an NGO trying to make the world a better place. In the future she wants to become a world-famous, rich author and retire somewhere on the beach. In case that does not work out, she would also go for getting a few stories published first.
Blog featured photo (woman on hill) by Elena Buzmakova(borisova) from Pexels