There is a place right in the City of Santa Barbara, a small and quiet place, where oak trees grow, birds fly here and there, a small creek flows, benches to sit on, etc. We call it Rocky Nook Park and it has been there forever!
Often enough, almost every day when I could, I did my morning walks up there and back. The occasional owl hooted as if greeting dawn along with my own eyes and ears. This is a gem, a place where one can be close to and with Nature, sit on a bench, wander the trails. Often there are sounds of laughter, when the children arrive and spend a few hours there, exploring, learning what trees, grasses, birds, lizards, etc. are all about.
It is a place of healing, something all of us need — the moments of silence with a bird flying by, a leaf slowly falling to the ground, and in the autumn the gathering of acorns.