The Ireland in My Backyard

I have a lifelong wish to travel to Ireland. I want to see the Cliffs of Moher and how they rise up and tower over the Atlantic and the Giant’s Causeway and its 40,000 interlocking hexagonal basalt columns leading into the sea. I want to see stunning Killarney National Park in the southwest corner of Ireland too. My list of places to see is long.

Oh, I want to do the tourist thing. I want to drink a pint of Guinness in a tavern. While I’m at it, I wouldn’t mind a tasting or two of Jameson. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? I want to hang with the locals too. I want the full experience.

Mainly I want to take in Ireland’s lush green hillsides.

Going Home (Without Leaving)

I’ve never actually set foot in Ireland, but I feel like I’ve been there plenty of times in my dreams.

Here’s what I mean. I grew up in Central Pennsylvania in the middle of a fertile valley full of small farms and pastures, nestled between two mountains. In many ways, it was one of the most picturesque things I’ve seen in my life. Farmers were our friends and neighbors. I came to count on farm wisdom. Sayings like “Make hay while the sun shines” and “Knee-high by the fourth of July.” Historically, that meant that if corn reached the height of a farmer’s knee by Independence Day, it was on track for a successful, high-yielding harvest.

We prayed in church for rain, but not too much rain. We tracked the height of the corn and vegetable stalks throughout the summer. I moved away, but I’ve still lived much of my life in Pennsylvania. Like anything else, PA has its good and its bad. I’m certainly no fan of the soup-thick humidity that takes over in the summer, or the heavy, back-breaking snow we sometimes get in the winter. But mostly, I love its hard-working people. And I love the rolling, lush green of Pennsylvania farmland.

The mountains of Pennsylvania may not be very daunting by European standards, but the sheer vibrancy of the green here is as brilliant as it comes. I suspect it’s my mother’s Amish farmer roots coming out in me, but I love how the rich nutrient-filled dirt and the land and good weather nurture and create the best that life has to offer.

Stepping Into Another World

Case in point: I look out from my deck right now and the trees are exploding in a deep, dark green, towering over my small backyard. As much as I actively try to kill off my grass with my own stupidity and frequent cutting, it defies me by staying a stubborn dark green. The scorching July sun will eventually burn off some of its vibrancy, but it’ll still be holding its own by the end of the summer.

The rest of the yard is alive, too. Birds are chirping, the squirrels have retreated back to the edges, waiting for me to go inside, and a doe and her fawn are quietly feasting on the lush undergrowth.

In the end, I realize that my desire to see Ireland is less about the color green and more about living life to the fullest. And yes, it turns out that I’ve already visited Ireland. And I’ve never even left my yard.

What places are on your wishlist to travel to in the future?

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