36°22'30"N, 94°13'00"W
Bogle Park, Bentonville, Arkansas
We all have our own personal ways to give ourselves a mood boost. Listening to a certain song, eating a favorite food, talking to a friend, exercising, and even herbs and vitamins can all have an elevating impact on our state of mind. For me, visiting my "happy places" is usually the most effective way to feel better. I have dozens of these refuges in locations far and wide, and I hope to write about most of them over the months and years to come. I recently stopped by one of my favorite spots while traveling back in Arkansas. It is a tiny oasis of superbly landscaped ground known as Bogle Park, inconspicuously tucked away in a quiet residential area of Bentonville, Arkansas.
Countless times my wife and I made a pilgrimage, with our Starbucks in hand, to sit in the swing under the pretty white gazebo and sort out problems or make future plans. Inspiration seemed to come easier as we sipped our coffee and listened to a softly falling rain on the gazebo roof, inhaled fragrant spring blooms, or watched slowly falling red and gold leaves in autumn. On most visits we took in the colorful display of flowers, plants, and ornamental trees in solitude, a little private escape from our everyday world. Other times the park would come alive with local people who came to shoot photographs of family or friends using the brilliant colors of the flowers as perfect backdrops. Nearly every attendee to the Bentonville High School prom includes a pre-prom stop at Bogle Park so proud parents can record this childhood rite of passage in a most agreeable setting.
Last weekend's stop at Bogle Park was somewhat poignant in the fact that some of the solutions my wife and I developed while sitting on that gazebo swing last spring resulted in the move north that now prevents us from visiting this particular "happy place" regularly. But that's ok. Life moves on and we garner new, more appropriate "happy places". I've located lots of terrific ones in my new hometown, and I use them regularly. If you don't have some places of your own where you can go to re-energize, I encourage you to go out and find a few. They're great for the soul, and much healthier than popping a "happy pill" to get you through the tough times.
Thank you for expressing with words how I feel about Bogel Park. My husband and I found it accidentally one day in the late 1990s. We were visiting Bentonville. We told our children about Bogle Park, and they went with us to locate it again. A kind gentleman walked across the street and began telling us the history of the park and why it came to be. It seems his son wanted a gazebo. "You can't have a gazebo without walks." And that is how it began. He told us they created another park near their nursery in consideration for their neighbors. So many weddings were being held in Bogle Park that often the neighbors couldn't get into their driveways or have parking for their own cars. If you drive by his son's home you will see the same loving care and beauty you find at his father's home. We thank them form our heart for this "happy place" to sit, ponder, and count our many blessings.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have spoken with the kind gentleman from across the street. And each time I return to NW Arkansas I make a point of stopping by and spending a little quality time in the gazebo. We can all appreciate the Bogle family for their contributions to the beauty of the area.
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