The Tail Of The Dragon

Through the lush brilliant green canopy, bits of bright sunlit sky peeked. Even from the inside of the car, she felt the dappled rays reaching through the sunroof gently warming her. How long had it been since she visited somewhere this green, Agnes pondered. Her head pivoted side to side trying to take in all the nature before her. Her brain, finally free from the ever-distracting life of the city, felt crisply conscious and her ever-present anxiety quieted.

Freckled fingers found their way between her own that perched upon the center console of the rented sedan. As she peered down, she couldn’t help but smile. It had been years since they had been away together. Between climbing career ladders, having the kids, and relocating several times, life seemed to move at an overwhelmingly frenetic pace. They’d been trying to make things work. At home, with countless distractions and interruptions, they’d find themselves collapsing in bed by the end of the evenings.

Intimacy in all forms had taken a hit. Combined with the nightly interruptions of sleep from the littlest one, both were perpetually exhausted. Hustling from soccer practice to swim lessons, then home to prepare dinner, help with homework, and knock out bedtime, they were weary. The snipping and shortness reared. The fights escalated. From afar, aging parents called incessantly, and it was as if the roles had been reversed as they found themselves explaining concepts of digital currencies, juggling understandings of health conditions and treatments, and trying to warn of predatorial schemes designed to dupe elderly.

She grinned and felt her cheeks dimple. Their phones, on airplane mode, were no more now than preprogramed GPS and cameras. With each mile away from civilization, they shed a layer of heaviness. Now, hundreds of miles from home, it was just the two of them undistracted. They needed this terribly. No more distractions. Well, she thought, the beauty surrounding them is most certainly a distraction, but welcome. Oh, so welcome.

Clark squeezed her hand, briefly glancing as he pulled the car off into a scenic overlook lot.

“What do you say,” he paused, “Should we stretch our legs and find the view?”

“Yes, please. I need to stand,” Agnes replied. “Can we please look at the map first? Let’s plot the course.”

He chuckled, “Only you would want to get lost with a well plotted adventure.”

She knew it was only a jest. He was right too. The weeks before she’d read all the hiking blogs and tourism posts. Armed with maps, a notebook filled with seemingly random places and scribbles, picnic charcuterie lunches, and a beverage cooler, they’d be able to just go all day and explore.

“Well, Captain,” she retorted, “this is only the beginning. We’ll head down the Foothills Parkway and follow the river southeast toward North Carolina. There will be a portion of the road called the tail of the dragon, and you’ll wish you had your old BMW convertible. I read that it will be a winding, banking, beautiful and, a nice,” she paused for dramatic flair, “slow drive. We should pop out close to a dam, some civilization, and then head toward Smoky Mountain National Park from the south. And,” she raised her eyebrows and grinned, “we will be able to see the Visitor’s Center and some elk before it closes. I’ve calculated it will take most of the day, but we will really get the feel for the entire area.”

“Sure thing, love. I trust ya. You’ve been planning for weeks. The tail of the dragon sounds great. And we’ve got enough snacks for days. Let’s get going.”

Agnes tucked her map on the side of the floormat and set her notebook on top. She grabbed her camera bag, hoping for some good shots, and opened the door. The coolness instantly made her turn back toward the light grey cardigan balled up in her seat.

“You don’t need it, wimp,” Clark called from the path beyond. “We’ve survived too long in one hundred plus weather. Just come see this,” he beckoned.

He was right. The air was a calm salve, gently reminding her of the way Clark tickled her arms with his fingertips in a caress. The coolness made her cognizant of the air as she inhaled, filling her lungs with oxygen. It was as if it were charged with energy. She could imagine it changing her somehow. The trodden grass, just off the parking lot sidewalk, told a tale of her fellow wanderers. Bubbles of excitement filled her, or maybe it was the clean air. It didn’t matter. Step by step, checking for snakes, as all the blogs and posts reiterated the importance of checking for snakes, she cautiously proceeded.

Clark was ten feet away, close to what appeared to be the edge of the mountainside. Tall wildflowers grew erratically in the perimeter where the sun had uninterrupted access. A small orange butterfly flittered around, greeting the visitors. Clusters of clover complete with wandering honeybees, goldenrods, buttercups, and brambles reached up soaking in the sun. His arms opened out embracing the wilderness, Clark slowly turned, grinning.

“This,” he shook his head, smiling with his entire being, “This is amazing.”

She, seeing his carefree disposition for the first time in ages, looked beyond. The wildflowers and brambles were backed by brilliant white rosebay rhododendrons and shrubs. Beyond them was a vast forest of greenery. The clouds, quickly moving and morphing, cast shadows that gave depth and shape to the landscape below. As far as she could see, from her feet to the gradient blues of the horizon in the distance, a myriad of plant life, a green heaven, expanded before her.

And then, she noticed the silence, the space of living and being. The vast chasm seemed so natural and normal. Oneness welled inside, a oneness with this great expanse of earth and the sense of belonging with it, not to tame, dominate or conquer, but to be a part of it. She felt her eyes begin to tear up. Those bubbles that had flitted earlier, giving her own butterflies, climbed up, gathering near her throat. She inhaled deeply, cradling the breath inside. How precious and beautiful is life, she thought. As if Clark could sense this as well, he reached for her, beckoning her to join in the silent splendor. She went to him. Hand in hand, they stood, looking forward into the unknown.

Time ceased to exist as they stood. Being, not doing, not planning, not thinking, just being. The years of struggle started unwinding. No longer directing the traffic of domestic life, they could just exist. Sadness and hope surfaced, leaving Agnes in deep contemplation. Here is truth, she thought. We have made life into this beast, a dragon to be conquered. Nature cares nothing for our schedules, our goals, or our dreams. It doesn’t acknowledge success or failure. We are racing forward each day for what purpose or to what end? All we need is here around us and within us.

Clark squeezed her. This was what was important- loving and living ever present. They weren’t quite out of the woods yet; but they were together and finally able to hear each other in the silence that encompassed them.