Three years ago, Andrew Herrick was stuck in a traffic jam and decided to pull over to visit a park he had passed by many times. Now, he goes there at least one morning a week.
Writing in The Guardian, Andrew Herrick describes his epiphany as follows: "I must have passed it 100 times. Until one day in 2022, stuck in Melbourne traffic, I glanced towards the park in Bayside and saw mist rising from the trees, as if they had just exhaled into the dawn sunlight. This sight cheered me, lifting the pall of the workday grind ahead. Right then I made a resolution to interrupt my commute at least once a week by visiting the park and I have kept to it ever since.
The next day I left the stream of traffic, parked the car and walked into the park, skirting the cricket oval where dogs chase sassy swallows skimming the grass just out of reach. Past there is a quiet pond where you will find ducks and turtles, and beside it is one of those forgotten patches of land where nature gets to do her thing unhindered.
As I approached what would become my special place, the traffic noise faded and work worries vanished. I reached a small patch of green where understorey saplings rise almost branchless beneath an ancient white-trunked eucalyptus, protected by its vast embrace. I felt its protection, too. As I stood there in the company of trees I closed my eyes and inhaled. I couldn’t help smiling. After countless visits, I’ve discovered that each season has its special scent."
He calls his sudden decision to visit the part in 2022 "the one change that worked" and concludes by saying: "I urge you to find your nearest patch of wild. If you don’t know where that is, find one. Change your usual route, just a little, and spend a few minutes there. Go into that green place and breathe."