Sitting in a wicker rocker on the back porch of one of my favorite Airbnb places, I watched folks tee off aiming at the nearby green. I’m about 150 feet from the green. It’s a short hole of fewer than 200 yards. I chuckle as golfer after golfer struggles to hit the green from such a short distance. Easy for me to chuckle. I don’t golf. 😉
August 2020, smack dab in the middle of the Pandemic. Never mind. We take precautions, which included packing our own food and bringing a large cooler. Our Airbnb has a small kitchen so we’re good. Hiking trails aren’t crowded and we see very few people. We were determined to get away and come to this place – our favorite place – to exhale! The place? Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.
I have a straight-line view of the tee box and the green. On the backside of the tee box are large pine trees. All around me are woods and a groomed golf course. You’re wondering why this is my favorite place when I don’t golf? Partly, because I’m an introvert. No, I’m not shy, bashful, or socially awkward. No, I don’t hate people. But sitting here 100 feet away from the green I’m able to wave at the golfers. Once in a while, one of them will shout at me, “You should join us.” I holler back, “Oh, I hate to show off to strangers!” 😀
Rhonda joins me in the other matching wicker rocker. I say, “I could spend a lot of time here.” Without hesitation, she replies, “I could, too.” It’s the first time we’d actually said it out loud to each other other than fantasy talk like, “Wouldn’t it be nice if…?” We both had a seriousness in our voices this time.
During the Pandemic, we ventured to Hot Springs Village five times. Each time finding it harder and harder to leave. Craving to get back more and more in-between visits, too.
We committed to plan, connive, strategize and visualize one day having a place in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. “Let’s have some fun planning!” And so it began. And so it continues.
But why? And why Hot Springs Village, Arkansas?
First, 3 minutes of video that I shot personally during a more recent visit in May 2021…
And some photographs, also taken in May 2021…
If you still wonder why I’ll try to put it into words to explain my own why.
In a word it’s psychology.
the mental characteristics or attitude of a person
the mental and emotional factors governing a situation or activity
In a phrase, it’s mental health.
a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being
This is a very personal deal. What serves me well may not serve you so well. Much of this is beyond explanation, or at least my ability to explain. Truth is, it’s a place that is terrific for my mental and emotional health. And in recent years, that’s something that I’ve learned needs some nourishment. Much of my life has been devoid of such concerns. I’m not proud of that.
Places, like people, are imperfect. But like people, some places are safer for us than others. Not in a crime-prevention sorta way, but in a way where our frame of mind is improved by being there. No place on the planet has that impact on me like Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It was likely an ideal scenario where the timing of my life, the timing of my challenges and the timing of my finding a place all collided. But I’m not questioning it. I’m leaning into it. And having some fun along the way learning more about the place, the people and the other places surrounding it.
If you want, check it out at Hot Springs Village Inside Out.
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