Chasing the wind: Moments

Everybody has a place they go to when they are feeling stressed, upset, or many other emotions.

It doesn't have to be the grandest or most beatiful of spots on the planet, it just has to belong to you. Most of us have one, and to us it is ours alone. It could be the winding path behind your granny's house that leads into a sea of back yards. It could be the old oak tree that you used to climb when you were a kid, you can still here the laughter of your friends today. It could be the station bridge where you met the love of your life and shared that intimate first kiss under the light of the moon. It could be any of these places. However, these are places and memories of my family and myself that are special to me. You may have visited the old oak tree, the sea of back yards, or even the station bridge, but it is not the same place as mine. And, alas, it will never be.

There is a reservoir in my home town: Greenock. It is nothing spectacular, and it definitely isn't anything grand or beautiful. However, to me, it is my past, my present, and my future. It is the long summer days spent chasing my brother and friends: skateboarding down the 'deathy' hill. It is the family picnics as we laughed and joked and spoke of countless pointless things. It is the place I went to read when family life was getting too much. It is the place I used to walk when I lost my temper or needed to vent some stress. It is the place I used to pass through on my way to and from high school most days of the year: rain or shine. It is the place I stood solemnly after I found out my mother had passed away. It is the place I cried openly for a mother-son relationship with broken ties.

It is the place I said Goodbye.

It is the place my family and I scattered her ashes some time past midnight when we had lost all sense of time.

It is the place I will always go back to visit in all the years to come. It is the place my grandchildren will pass and smile and say "That's where memories were born, lived, and passed away"

Passed on to the next generation, and into the earth itself. This is my travel entry. It is not about a place where people will scurry to go for the attractions. It is a place that only I can go, for all of these memories, this place alone is mine. For each and every member of my family, or anybody who lives close, Greenock Reservoir is a different place upon the memories they have themselves. And of the memories yet to come.