A Place to Get Away

It was around 3PM on a Saturday. I had just gone back to Houston for the weekend because I needed to get away from the increasingly my increasingly hectic academic life. It was around this time that I decided that I wanted to take a drive. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was looking for but for some reason that was the best part about it. As I was driving down the road that leads me to the interstate by my house, I decided that I wanted to get ever farther away from my problems. I took the beltway to Interstate 45 and headed north. By now I already knew where I was heading; a small town located between Conroe and New Caney called Porter.

Photo Courtesy of Estately.com

My grandparents lived there when I was younger and, even though I did not get to see them much, the visits that occurred few and far between were memorable nonetheless. As I’m driving past The Woodlands, aptly named for its luscious greenery that is incorporated into its metropolitan spirit, I start to see the familiar tree line. Once I passed the shopping malls and other consumer ridden establishments, the only thing left to see on this drive was tall gorgeous trees and nothing but road ahead of me for at least 10 minutes. As I pull in to the old lot that lay across the street from my grandparents’ old home, I can’t help but remember the few times I was there as a child. The trees seemed so big as a child and now as a grown man, they are still larger than ever. While I cannot tell you what type of trees they were or what species of bush lay surrounding them, it does not take a botanist or self proclaimed naturist to be entranced by the immensity of nature. There were trees as far as the eye can see and the homes were tucked away in these lots of land they managed to carve out at the end of nearly invisible driveways. Standing in the street, all you would see is a mailbox and a drive way that disappears into the woods. Most homes in the area have driveways a few hundred feet long. Suffice to say, my need to “get away” was satisfied. After sitting on my hood for about an hour and just contemplating everything that was going on in my life, I decided I was done with my melodramatic teen-angst for the day and decided to go home and eat. While there was nothing particularly special about this trip or the place in general, I still look back at that like 2 hour experience and a strange calm washes over me. I highly suggest “getting away” for a while, wherever your spot may be.