It was a sunny afternoon that October Saturday. I slipped away after lunch to wander the orchard, get myself a Macintosh straight from the tree, and spend some time alone. We didn't often get time alone, with eight siblings and endless chores, especially during the apple season.
As I wandered the orchard, I crouched down and sprawled out underneath a Cortland tree. As I lay on my back, I looked up at the clouds. We had a game where we named images we could see in the clouds, and I began to play that game with myself.
It was peaceful, the air was perfect, and the scent of fresh apples permeated the whole orchard. I lay there for around ten or fifteen minutes. Then I heard an apple drop off the tree. A few minutes later, I heard another one drop. I better go before one drops on my head, I sighed to myself, getting up.
Years later, when I was in EMDR therapy, my therapist asked me to imagine a place that brought me joy, called a "calm place."
"It can be real or imagined, but it must be 100% good with no bad memories attached to it."
Immediately, this scene came to mind.