Justin Mathews LOTS

In chapter 2 of Landscapes of the Sacred Lane describes a clearing as being a sacred place and this definitely seemed familiar to me. Growing up my backyard was my playground. My house was right on the edge of a pretty steep hill which went down to a creek. It was all common land that will never be developed due to the terrain. While playing in the woods in my backyard I liked to make little “forts” out of trees, tree limbs, and leaves. Still at a young age, I was not allowed to venture far into the woods by mom's orders. I had my fun, always in sight or earshot of my parents if they stood on the back porch. As I grew older my range expanded. One day I ventured far, far into the woods (it was really maybe 50 yards haha) and I discovered a clearing. It was oval shaped and just seemed so captivating. I wondered how was it formed? Had this happened naturally or had man cleared this 10 by 20 yard area? Whatever the case it was my new special place. Luckily there was a deer trail near by that went straight back to my backyard so I had easy access to it. I slowly built it up, and it eventually became the greatest fort ever. Today whenever I take a stroll through my woods I always stop by my old fort. There are fallen trees down and it is no longer a clearing really, but it still brings a smile to my face each time as I recollect my childhood.