Hey, thanks for being a part of the conversation. This is Forest Stories.
I am the Poet in the Forest, a children's series that I pinned
out in the nineteen nineties. Now, none of it would be possible if
it wasn't for this forest right here in South Charlotte, North Carolina. I
talk about it so much that I thought maybe it's time that you get to
know what has inspired me for thirty years. Thanks for being a part of
the conversation. Welcome back to the forest. Walking by Ron and Carroll's house
a major fixture in the story of this forest because they were one of the
first, if not the first, to choose to live within this collection of
trees where you can see the beautiful lake, the slow moving stream, and
the most amazing colors year round, especially fall. Ron and Carroll did something
that was very special that really kind of served as a beacon of light at
the top of Heartbreak Hill. Heartbreak Hill is a mighty hill, and it's
design to do exactly that. Break your heart. Oh, the rhythm of
your heart is going to race before you get to the top. And late
at night, Ron and Carol would shine a light through their living room window
and it would say things like you're almost there, don't give up, keep
reaching although it's night inside this forest. Just know that we are here to
serve you with this light so that you can be guided in the right direction.
The craziest thing about this light is that when Ron and Carol transitioned,
my wife and I made sure that we had that light put in our dining
room that overlooks this forest in South Charlotte, the right to Carolina to also
serve as the very beacon that Ron and Carol wanted to bring to life on
their part of the forest. Each night, that light clicks on at six
PM and it doesn't turn off until sunrise. Anybody who walks into this forest
at any time of the night knows you're almost there. But from our direction,
you're going to have to go back up a little portion of Heartbreak Hill,
and yes, it's going to be dark, but you have to trust
that this beacon of light is here to serve as a source of energy inner
belief exploration. Because when you walk through a forest late at night, you
can't see the limbs that are on the ground. You don't know what animals
are walking at you. But then when you look up from the forest floor
and you see that beacon of light, you just know you're almost there.
Keep trying. Thanks for being a part of the conversation.