Cozy Cabin Getaway Weekend

A Cozy Cabin on Autumn Hill It's sunrise and you stand on the balcony of a private cozy cabin.

There's a fireplace crackling in the background and the remnant steam from a morning shower wafts past you to evaporate in the crisp air.

An exhausted night's sleep followed a hurried evening's drive to get here.

The need to escape daily chaos pushing you.

Wrapped in a robe and fluffy slippers,

You hold a steaming mug and listen to the birds greet the dawn.

A light breeze carries the smells of crisp air and the sounds of a burbling creek a little way off.

Water happily dancing over rocks on its way down the mountain.

Red and gold leaves rustle in the trees,

Some falling to add more cushion to the ground.

And then another smell drifts past.

Breakfast.

Your stomach grumbles in response,

Reminding you that you missed dinner last night.

Putting on your hiking clothes in preparation for a day enjoying the wilderness.

You close up your personal oasis,

Grab your full backpack and step out the front door.

The main building at this little retreat beckons with small warm white lights hanging above a porch wrapped all the way around a large log cabin.

You climb the stairs and stroll across a wooden slatted balcony that has seen generations of travelers.

Inside you are greeted by a small smile,

A nod and a gesture to a window table by yourself.

As per your instructions when you signed up.

A few small furred woodland creatures scurry through the underbrush outside,

Getting their own breakfast as you settle in to wait for yours.

Orange juice is brought out freshly squeezed.

A plate arrives with thick homemade buttermilk biscuits,

A few pats of butter,

Scrambled eggs and bacon.

The biscuits taste like slightly buttered fluffy clouds and settle in your stomach,

Warming you as you nibble on the bacon and eat your eggs.

You eat slowly,

Watching outside like you have no worries at all,

Because right now you don't.

A small pot of coffee arrives with a tiny carafe of creamer,

Enough for you to have two cups.

And fill the thermos you put in your backpack.

Sipping your coffee,

You notice a handful of other people who also seem to have shed the stresses of the outside world.

Everyone is involved in their own food and thoughts,

Enjoying the natural scenery.

Out of your window,

You see birds landing on tree branches,

Tilting their heads,

Singing for a moment and flying away.

The smaller animal scurries have slowed and yet a tiny furred face peers out and checks its bearings before taking off.

You can feel yourself smiling.

Filling your thermos with just the right coffee and creamer mixture,

You pop the lid on and stick it in your backpack.

Smiling as you rise,

You see the excellent service fills in something you had forgotten.

As they hand you a couple of sandwiches,

An apple,

A couple bottles of water,

And place them inside a steel lunchbox for your hike.

Nodding in thanks towards the kitchen and the server,

You walk to the back door opposite of where you entered.

Clear windows show the start of three different paths for all-day walks,

And you choose the one in the middle.

The hike begins with a gently swirling breeze,

Blowing leaves and little swirls under your foot as your ascension is slow and easy.

A few hundred feet in,

There's a break in the trees,

And you realize how far up you've come as you look out over the lake,

Spotted with fishing boats,

Close to a distant village dock.

The water is blue-green,

Clear,

And you can see schools of fish swirling and dancing while they move through the water.

There is a little movement to your left,

And you see a small squirrel a few feet over your head,

Barely visible in the tree,

Seemingly hoping you didn't see it.

Smiling with your eyes,

But nothing more so you don't startle it.

You turn back to your path and continue to walk up.

You can collect feathers,

Leaves,

Sticks,

And anything interesting you find along the way.

Take a few minutes to picture this part of the hike.

It takes a while,

With your legs slightly wobbling from exertion and quick breaths,

Your hands full of little treasures,

You arrive at the outlook,

The end of your trail,

And a place to take a break before you go back down.

The mountain valley is almost completely filled by a stunning lake,

And the village you saw across the way looks like a storybook place from this distance.

You thought scenes like this only existed on TV or in the movies before you found out about this place.

Grateful that somewhere insisted on staying as wild as possible in a world that feels like it's being smothered by technology.

There's a bench here,

And you take a seat,

Putting your backpack down next to you,

Pulling out a journal and a pencil to write down your thoughts.

Inhale deeply and immerse yourself in the tranquility.

Let the quiet surround you.

Here,

The world is calm.

You left behind the noise,

The chaos,

The crowding,

And all the thoughts that yelled at you while you were in it.

Breathing slowly,

You leave them alone.

Jot down your emotions without any regard for the past or the future.

Take time to look around and memorize the landscape,

The peace and quiet,

The imagery that will be with you forever.

Remember how this feels.

This is calm.

This is quiet.

This will be available in your head any time you need it.

A small scattering of leaves lets you know a small furry friend is about to skitter by.

You watch the sun move across the sky.

And clouds drift lazily past.

As evening approaches,

You gather your things and begin the descent back to your cabin.

The morning damp has long worn off,

And the leaves crunch a little bit under your feet.

You see a couple more little squirrels and some birds that weren't there before,

Like they're playing hide and seek with you.

The birds singing little tunes from their perches in the trees.

It takes you longer to calm down because savoring every moment is important.

Holding on to that peace,

You enter your cabin and within moments,

There's a gentle knock at the door.

You open it and are handed steaming hot towels and realize that a steamer is about to start.

Steaming hot bath would be perfect.

Once again,

You're in solitude within your serene sanctuary.

Putting the towels next to the spacious tub and filling it with water as hot as you can bear.

One switch on the wall turns on electric candles that flicker slightly against the walls.

The provided bubble bath smells like hot chocolate and it's amazing.

You're moving slower than you were yesterday.

The impending sense of urgency that has been pushing you for a while is now farther in the background.

It's somewhere else.

Sinking into the tub,

You warm all the way down to your toes.

Warmth seeps into your bones.

Aches and pains ease.

Your muscles relax their tension and your heart rate slows down.

As you close your eyes to enjoy it,

You catch a glimpse of the setting sun in a window up high enough to maintain privacy.

But large enough to give you a view of the lovely colors of a sunset.

The quiet wraps you in a blanket of calm.

There is nothing you can do about anything in the outside world right now.

It will all be there when you decide to go back later.

When you want.

You stay in the tub until the water starts to cool.

And those warm towels are huge and soft.

You dry off.

And put on some comfortable pajamas.

Your stomach rumbles and now you remember that you forgot your lunch.

With a small smile,

You pull out the lunchbox and sit it on a table.

Ready to dig in.

When there's another small knock at the door and you open it to find a cart with a dinner fully laid out.

Pulling the cart into the room,

You remove the dishes and put them on a small table.

There's a pitcher of water,

Condensation dripping down the side,

And a water glass along with a small bottle of wine and a wine glass.

Your favorite meal and your favorite wine top off a beautiful day.

This far out in the woods,

You can see the stars clearly sparkling overhead as there's no artificial lights to compete with them.

You see the big and little dipper just as they were when you were little.

And the memory makes you smile.

Happily tired,

Calm,

Full,

And now sleepy.

You crawl into the overstuffed bed with a comforter that feels like sleeping in a cloud.

The comforter surrounds you,

Hugging you softly,

Cradling you.

Allowing you to melt into the bed,

Feeling it supporting you effortlessly.

As you breathe in,

Allow your body to relax further.

Start at the top of your head and soften your eyebrows.

Wiggle your nose,

Your jaw.

Feel the relaxation in your shoulders from the long day.

And with each breath,

Slip into deeper relaxation.

Every part of your body is melting into the surface.

Soft,

Supportive cushion.

Feel the warmth in your chest bringing calm and comfort.

Imagine a gentle wave of peace from the calming nature outside.

Flowing all around you.

You're floating on a cloud.

You are weightless,

Free,

Relaxed.

Deeper and deeper,

Further into the warmth and comfort.

Know that you are held here,

Safe.

You are free to fully rest.

Let your mind grow quiet,

Your body still.

Float off to sleep.