Begin Again

This week G. and I visited two nearby parks. The first is a regular go-to, Lions Park in downtown Zionsville. This gem is maintained by the local Lions Club, making available to our community many opportunities: for youth to learn the benefits of being a part of a team, new friendships to be forged while playing at the playground, and fun rivalries to develop on the basketball and tennis courts. In the spring there is the Easter Egg Hunt, over the warm summer months there are concerts at the quintessential small-town gazebo and in the fall the Lions Club host a carnival that fills the park from edge to edge. But any day we can show up and hike the trail that runs around the park and along Eagle Creek. The Lions Park trail connects to trails in the Creekside Nature Park that winds its way to additional paths that run through a growing corporate park once you cross Eagle Creek by way of a newish walk bridge. Just over the bridge there is a flyfishing shop and it is not unusual to see fishermen in the creek. Although I didn’t expect to see a brave soul in the creek in January.

Our weekend walk took us to Bear Creek Park which is under development in Carmel and only 2 miles from our home. The Parks Department currently opens the area up only on the weekends, encouraging the hikers to submit their ideas for this new, what I call, pocket park. We pulled down a one lane drive to a temporary gravel parking area that would accommodate about 8 vehicles. We parked, read the info about the park and got our bearings from a posted map and prepared to set out. When I stepped away from the parking area and to the trail’s start I scanned the field before us, needing to decide whether to go right or left on the well marked, albeit rough trails. What I saw was great potential for this corner property. We only gained a 1 mile hike from these paths, but it felt like more as we had to go slow not to slip on the spotty ice and snow that the sun didn’t reach, and we wanted to take in this area, an area ripe with new growth. About 2/3 through our hike we met up with a gentleman who also was exploring these paths for the first time. He too lives close, and he provided for us a lot of history about this property. Telling us where the Carter house had stood before the park began to take shape (he felt they would be so happy with the plans for their property) and he noted he believed the original house that had been located to the north east of where we were standing, (that many years ago fell down), was, he thought, one of the original homes built in this township. He shared that he never saw that home standing, but in his youth he would roam about on its foundation. We had discovered a set of steps leading to Bear Creek that made the hill much more easily navigated, that he had missed so he liked that he had run into us and didn’t have to struggle up the hill to return to his car.

At the top of the hill he went left and we went straight because we were curious about this paved path that seemed to lead to nowhere…he informed us it was the drive way to the recently demolished Carter house perched at the top of the hill…the same one lane drive we had taken to the gravel parking area. It will be interesting to watch this park develop, knowing now a little bit about the history of the original settlers in the area and of the family that donated the park land. This farmland now has a fresh future, it will begin again to create new memories for local families, adding to the ones started by the family that planted the straight rows of trees scattered about the area. We too mustn’t forget to begin again when we are faced with “empty fields” in our lives. These empty fields may be the result of a personal loss, a move to an unfamiliar location, the proverbial empty nest or retirement. I remind myself to see beyond the browned grasses; new growth is waiting to pop. The field that looks empty, with closer inspection is full of promise. Recognize the potential. Begin Again. ‘Til Next Time.