Finding Peace

The second you step out of your car, the constant buzzing in your pocket finally leaves your mind, and the chaotic noise of the park takes over. Kids are screaming and laughing as they run all over the playground. Right nearby, coaches and players are yelling across the field while a fountain in the middle of the pond shoots a soft mist into the air. None of these sounds really fit together, but somehow they just make you feel grounded. They pull your eyes and attention away from your phone screen and force you back into the real world.

Sidewalk entrance of Kirby Park located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Down by the water, a family is hanging out with fishing rods by the murky green pond while
joggers pass by and people on benches just relax and take in the day. For a little bit, the endless
stream of emails, group chats, and notifications feel a million miles away. It’s way more than a
collection of benches, trees, and walking trails. It’s a rare environment where you can stop rushing, look around, and remember what real life feels like when you aren't staring at a screen all day.

The actual heart of the park isn't the pond or the sports fields though, it's the people. Sitting
under the shade on a beat-up wooden bench is Rich, kicking back in a faded Yankees cap and
smoking a cheap, sour-smelling cigar while he watches people pass by.

The beautiful Kirby Park pond and its fountain.

"Living the dream," Rich offers with a sarcastic, four-toothed grin when greeted. He points over at a jogger who is absolutely dying in the scorching heat. 

"You think I'm going out there to bake? No thanks. Yaknow, the secret to a long life is letting everyone else do the sweating foryah."

A raspy laugh bursts out of him, and it is impossible not to laugh along. But after working forty years in a plastics plant, Rich now has all the time in the world, and there is a deeper reason he

hangs out here pretty much every single afternoon.

"My wife, Louise... she passed away a couple years back," he mutters softly, his eyes drifting out over the water. 

"We used to sit right on this bench together all the time. It was our spot."

"That's really nice, you’re a lucky man," I tell him, mentioning my own four-year relationship.

His grin comes right back. "Four years? Man, what are you waiting for!"

"I hear that all the time," I laugh off.

"I'm not joking, kid," he says in all seriousness. "Hold onto the people who love you right now, because one day they're gone, just like my Louise. You never get those years back."

For Rich, this bench is a memory of a person he can't let go of, something he will hold on for the
rest of his life. 

A few yards down the path, sitting in a foldable lawn chair right out by the water is Gary,

wearing a faded Led Zeppelin t-shirt, cargo shorts, and a dark green cap, with a thick mustache
and long oily hair sticking out from underneath.

"Any luck?" I shouted a second time.

"Oh, my bad! Didn't even hear you over the fountain," Gary hollers back. "Nothing biting yet."

Even though he hasn’t caught anything, he chooses to keep fishing. He explains that flat paved
paths are way easier on his knees nowadays compared to trekking miles into the woods like he used to. Over the years, he's mostly caught small bluegill, plus decent-sized bass "if you know
where to cast." But catching something isn't really the point anyway. He stops talking and looks out across the pond.

"To be honest witchyah... I just come out here to clear my head," Gary admits quietly. "Fishing is
really just an excuse."

Rich and Gary are doing totally different things, but they're both looking for the exact same
thing: a break. In a world where time never seems to stop, Kirby Park gives them a place to just
exist in the moment.

The entrance to the main trail of Kirby Park.

Along the main trail, a dad is trying his best to keep up with his little girl while she pedals as fast

as she can on a pink, sparkly bike with training wheels, wobbling side to side, laughing and

squealing the whole way. He jogs a few steps behind her, sweat soaking through the back of his

shirt, lungs wheezing in the thick heat. He's totally out of gas, but he keeps going, because she's

having the best day of her life and he isn't about to slow down for anything. There is no live

stream or video being taken. They're just simply living in the moment.

As the heat finally dies down and the day comes to an end, a woman pushes a disabled man in a

wheelchair toward the shade, stopping right where the water reflects the sunlight. They just sit

together in quiet company, taking it all in. Whenever anyone strolls by, she looks up and gives

them a real, warm smile. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, just those small, genuine moments you

only catch when you're actually paying attention and not looking down at a screen.

Kirby Park is so much more than dirt paths, trees, and water. It's an escape from the reality of

everyday life. Pretty much all of us are looking for a little peace, even if we don't say it out loud,

and that feeling almost never just randomly happens. You actually have to go out and find it, and

the park makes that super easy. If you give just a little bit of your time to yourself instead of your

screen, you’ll be surprised by what you find. When almost everything in life happens through a

screen, a place like this reminds you that the stuff that actually matters can't be downloaded,

liked, or sent in a text. Sometimes all it takes is putting your phone in your pocket, taking a seat

by the pond, and actually paying attention to the world around you.

What a beautiful view!