Tabatha Deans

The Winds of Change

            I sat on the porch of Jenni and Ben’s trailer last night, reflecting on my summer at the dam as I looked at the bright moon. Fall is in the air, and each night the air has become more crisp; the winds blowing through seem more intense than in town, bringing Fall to the mountain in an extreme manner.

            I heard the wind coming through the canyon before I felt it. It echoed through the valleys and over the hills before it found me on the porch, where it wrapped around me like a cool hug. The wind sounded a bit eerie, but as it blew across me, it was comforting, and I was sure it was familiar as well. I tried to remember why the wind would be familiar, thinking back to my childhood, walking home from school and feeling the fall chill, catching the scent of wood burning stoves. Although it was a pleasant memory, it wasn’t the reason the wind felt familiar.

            Then it hit me. It was the wind of hope, and I remembered feeling it when I was 16, on the porch of my parent’s trailer, thinking about the wonderful future I had ahead of me. I was writing for the Vernal Express and doing the news for the radio station. I planned to leave town and head to college in Salt Lake, where I was going to become a reporter who rivaled Barbara Walters. I was full of life, passion and ideals, and ready to take on the world. I didn’t know that I couldn’t accomplish anything I set my mind to.

            The wind last night brought me back the hope that I felt then. It seemed to wash away my cynicism and negativity, and replaced it with cool, crisp, hope. Hope for everything I want to accomplish, and confidence that I still can.

September 22, 2008 - Posted by Tabatha Stewart | Uncategorized