Songs, Surprises, and Stillness at Shad Landing
- Margot Resto
- Aug 12
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 13
Shad Landing State Park has been host to many unforgettable memories over the past 30 years for my family and friends. Before my kids were born, Shad Landing was a place we went to immerse ourselves in nature and escape from the everyday rush and noise. It’s only a few minutes away from my house, but it felt like a faraway adventure. We’d camp on our favorite site, Deer Run, every time. We’d ride bikes, walk, canoe, fish and grill…outside all day. It was such a welcome shift in the busy, computer-dominated, inside daily grind. It gave us time to slow down and notice, to have space and time to notice the sky, the trees, the sounds, to just be. One afternoon, I was relaxing at the campsite after a bike ride, and the sunlight filtered through the leaves on a nearby tree. It was so beautiful it filled me with joy and awe. It was such a simple moment, one that happens all the time, but this moment was truly precious to me. I guess my soul really needed it, and nature was happy to oblige. Later, while sitting by the fire, inspired, I grabbed my notebook and started writing. Lyrics flowed onto the page so effortlessly I had a complete song in a few minutes. I started singing them to my friend, and he pulled out his guitar and naturally played what instinctually felt right. We just looked at each other with grins on our faces.
When the night came, we decided to venture out through the woods in the dark, depending on our eyes to adjust. We emerged in an open field, the air cool and humid, the only sounds crickets and frogs singing. We felt enveloped by the simple sacredness of nature. My friend started playing a melody on his Japanese flute, mimicking the rhythms of the sounds we heard, and out came more lyrics for another song. We looked at each other once again with wonder and giddy surprise at how easy it was, how smoothly it flowed from us. We felt pure gratitude for the time we spent immersed in this magical place, how it opened up our creative flow. Returning to the everyday world seemed like going into a foreign country.
Years later, with my children, I explored Shad Landing often, usually trekking through the woods on our favorite trail, the Trail of Change. One morning, we were taking our usual slow amble through, and my son got curious about a small log along the way. He did the natural thing - he turned it over to see what was crawling underneath, and found a small box. All of us were like kids in that moment, jaws dropped in wonder, dying to open it. My son picked it up carefully, with his eyes wide, and slowly opened it. Inside were tiny trinkets - a dinosaur eraser, a little pencil, a marble, a broken locket. There was a small note with messages from other people who had made the same unexpected discovery, signing their names with where they were from, asking that this mystical box be returned to its hiding place, with the invitation to take an object and leave one. My daughter found a small rock and gently placed it inside, all of us quiet, as if we were in a meaningful ceremony. We decided not to take anything, and left this geocache where we found it. We continued on our walk through the Trail of Change, a feeling of quiet content and amazement at our shared discovery. We rolled the log back over the box for the next curious person to unearth. Maybe you’ll find it next?
