Three acorns and a pat on the nose

A deer grazes on grass near a church in Stony Point, NY, located in Rockland County.

The bucolic bliss of Rockland County's roads, where the asphalt is a mere suggestion, and the deer are the unofficial welcoming committee. Rockland is the kind of place where you half expect to see a sign that says, "Slow down, Bambi's grandma crossing."  Here, the local deer squad, with their synchronized grass munching is easily seen, and that one daredevil, too, who's always edging closer to the road, probably running his own little toll operation. "That'll be three acorns and a pat on the nose, please!"

Just a drive in Rockland County is the perfect escape from the humdrum or the occasional existential crisis, where the only traffic jam is caused by a family of deer deciding the grass is indeed greener on the other side.

So next time life's worries get too heavy as I felt this day, just remember, there's a therapeutic country road and a deer waiting to collect your toll in Rockland County.