Green Belt of Peace

The small, rusted, olive colored gate marks the entrance to the Green Belt. The gate whines for oil as I turn the knob, push it open and walk down the the the long pathway lined with bushes that tower over my head like leafy skyscrapers. As I walk further along the path it clears into a large grassy area that is shaped like an oversized apple. The benches lining the grass are not the most attractive to look at because of their dirt brownish color and most of them have a large dip in the center that if turned upside down, would be big enough for me to crawl underneath. Never the less, I still succumb to my laziness and plop myself on the bench and try not to thing about what I’m sitting on.

The grass in the Green Belt is surrounded by a few feet of shrubs and flowers which leads into a tall metal fence that marks the boundary for the back yard of the homes that line the fence. All of the homes that have the Green Belt as an extended yard seem to have loud obnoxious dogs. Almost every time I walk by a yard with a dog it will jump up and start barking at me for no reason. Once one dog starts barking then all the rest join in as well because they don't want to miss out on a opportune moment to express their feelings.

I have come to the Green Belt enough times to be able to paint a mental picture of it. Each time I pass through, or sit at one of the benches and contemplate my thoughts, I vividly remember how the grass is always the same shade of green. No mater what time of year it is or what the weather has been the grass refuses to give up its vibrant green coloring. On the clearest, brightest, lightest days the sun shines on the blades making the grass glow as if it were grown on Mount Olympus. As I stroll down the pathway of this brilliant stretch of grass I begin to ponder, observing the houses around the path, hear the sound of the wind blowing through the trees blowing helpless leaves from their homes, it reminds me why the Green Belt is such a special place.

Sometimes I wander into the Green Belt to simply get away from the grind of everyday life and spend a few minutes in a peaceful and quiet environment. I use the Green Belt as a place where I can escape to talk to someone about a thought that has been troubling me or just as somewhere I can go to release stress in a healthy manner. As well as having a physiologically positive atmosphere, the Green Belt also acts as a quick and efficient way to get from one side of the neighborhood to the other. When I walk my dog I often cut through the Green Belt to reduce to size of the walk when I am being lazy.

Occasionally, when it is absolutely quiet I can hear the bird’s claws crunching leaves on a tree or the purr of a cat as it snoozes in the shade of the the shrubbery. It is amazing at how much can be noticed when there is no ambient noise in the background. The constant churning of the lawn mowers trimming the grass on the golf course used to be of great annoyance. However the golf course recently declared bankruptcy causing it to close which means no more lawn mowers to disturb anyone. Now I can enjoy the beautiful view of the course without the noise of the greens keepers and even the golfers themselves.

I don’t live in a particularly large neighborhood but in the thirteen years that I have lived here I seldom see other people in the Green Belt. Even when the sun is shining and there is no wind it is rare to see anybody. When I do see somebody they are usually people who I have seen there before and usually walk through daily. There is a sign on the gates that says no rollerblading, biking or skating and that all dogs must be on leashes which I think scares people away. Not only the sign but the entrance itself is rather daunting because it is impossible to see where the path leads from way the the path is angled. Both of which combined deter people from wanting to even venture past the gate, unaware of the beauty that awaits them.

The reason why I refer to this place as the Green Belt is for a couple of reasons. One, because of the luscious color that is seemingly everlasting and also because green is a lucky color and I always feel lucky to have a place such as it where I can disappear. Secondly, the area in which the path is located is about where the belt line of the neighborhood would be if it could have one. I put the two words together and came up with Green Belt which is what myself along with my friends who lived in my neighborhood call it.

When it comes time for me to leave the Green Belt I always walk slowly to toward the gate admiring the scenery as I go along. I notice all the beautiful foliage- redwoods and maples, daffodils and daises, ivy and moss- that I didn't see when I first walked by. I fully appreciate every moment I spent in the Green Belt and I am very thankful that I had the courage to open the gate and venture in. I enjoy the Green Belt: Every time I open the gate to the Green Belt I feel a wave of joy that rushes through by body. Nowhere else in the country do I feel more at peace than when I am inside the Green Belt.

- Anthony