My Mind Palace Looks Like A Ranch | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

My Mind Palace Looks Like A Ranch

A short descriptive story about a place like no other.

239
My Mind Palace Looks Like A Ranch
Kingofwallpapers

There is a small town in Chile, untouched by the Google Maps car, that holds the setting for a beautiful, otherwise unassuming ranch. This ranch was built from the ground up, by hand, and grew into the splendor it is today.

Anna's grandfather was master builder and architect of this establishment and created this place as a private escape from the outside world. Within the fence that surrounds the compound, there lies an exotic zoo.

A collection of lions, tigers, pumas, and jaguars live in enclosed compounds next to emu and water buffalo. White elk, llamas, and ostriches decorate the open fields of wild flowers. Each of these creatures lives in enclosed areas throughout the ranch and those who live and visit there are able to freely walk around the cages, take “up close and personal” pictures with, and, occasionally, feed the animals.

It is truly a world of its own, with large open spaces and the constant soundtrack of exotic birds and the roar of wild cats in the background. Isolated from the rest of the world, this ranch not only acts as a home for many of the species that live there, but also as an escape, for the people who visit, from the outside world.

Anna spent time every single summer since she was born on that ranch. She was born not long after the arrival of many of the animals so they all essentially grew up together. It is her home away from home.

A house was built at the highest point of the ranch and they all live and coexist alongside each other, animals and humans alike. This unconventional living situation has become very ordinary for her. There is a wonderful sense of isolation when Anna stays at the ranch. Being completely cut off from the rest of the world and completely connected with the nature around is one of the best parts about staying there.

Retreating into her own thoughts without the influence of the rest of the world's opinions, Anna uses the place as a time and a setting for introspection.

The ranch helps put things in order. Seeing the stars and the vast expanse of nature around allows for the mind to put things in perspective: the stupid little things that may have been done in the past year are exactly that, little. And there is comfort in being small, being little against the vast expanse of space and time.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1271
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

865
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

155
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1526
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments