THE SECRET PASSAGEWAY

'No way' I mumbled to myself as I kept walking further down the path in amazement. I then wondered why I never noticed or bothered to explore the area before this evening. Many times as I turned left off my street onto the main road to school, I noticed a collection of cars parked a block and a half away. The children noticed too but somehow we always assumed somebody was having a party or something. But the passageway was there, though its entrance was hidden by a group of trees.

In fact, a tree juts out from the precise middle of a path I noticed only once before, weeks ago, as I drove in the opposite direction of the children's school. I thought it might be another small open area behind houses but what I found was a path to the high school football field. I never realised just how close we were within walking distance. Then again, the winter months with its cedar fever kept me indoors most of the time whilst the summer and autumn months found me in Ireland for weeks at a time.

Though I have lived here close to a year, I never ventured too far past the front door of my house. I would have explored further down the other side but the sprinkling of rain which started at the beginning of my journey turned into a steady rain by the time I walked inside the house. 

On my return walk, I noticed a large rosemary bush growing by the sidewalk across my house. I stopped to pick a small sprig to use alongside the potatoes and red peppers with shallots for dinner. This was the first time I had noticed the rosemary bush as well.

At least now I have a new place to take the children next week during spring break. You can pass by something day after day yet never quite see that which is in front of you.