Working too hard? Job stress getting you down? Does going home after work just get you more of the same? Need a break? Soon? Would just a single day do it? Then read on: you are in luck.

What if there was a place you could go where it was quiet? Where you could just roam the great outdoors and fill your body with fresh air and sunshine, and fill your mind with peace? What if you could be near wildlife? What if there was a lake? What if there were two lakes, and they had fish in them? What if the people you met there were there for the same reason you were, and no more? What if you could spend time with someone who knew a lot about birds, or fish, or deer, or coyotes, or grasses, or trees, or the history of the area, or its future? And what if that person didn't mind if you weren't interested in any of that, but just wanted to spend some time alone to think your thoughts, or work out a problem without interruption? If so, then read on: you are SO in luck.

This might be the best part. This place does exist. It is probably within a half hour from your home in Denver. You can probably get there and back on a gallon of gas. One more thing: it is free. No admission. No charge. Free. Parking: free. Tours: free. Exhibits: free. Interested? Do read on.

You can do this any Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. It opens at 6:00.AM. (Days and hours may change as the seasons do.) Take I-70 to Havana Street and go North (the mountains will be on your left). When you get to the signal at 56 th Avenue continue straight ahead and drive into Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Continue North about a mile and a half, watch for the sign, and turn right into the Visitor Center parking lot. Go inside and check in. No big deal, just keeping track of how many people are there. Then you are on your own. You can go into the display area and learn about what used to go on at the Arsenal when it was part of the war effort in the Forties, or stroll the shores of Lake Mary, which is about a half mile around, or go on to the Prairie Trail, which goes for another mile. Or (and now it starts to really get good) continue on to the Woodlands Trail which goes almost two miles farther and is where the relaxation therapy really gets going.

There you are in peace and quiet, in the beauty of nature, with birds (some of them pretty big, too), deer (mostly white-tails, but an occasional mule deer in this area), flowers (and this is what will probably bring you back, as there is something new blooming every couple of weeks), and lots of blue sky and green foliage all around. If you can't get your head on straight here, it can't be done. You might have to come back again, just to make sure. And again. It's open year 'round, even in lousy weather.

You will need a kit for this, and here is what to put in it: some sun screen, some insect repellant, some drinking water, a pair of binoculars, and a granola bar. That's all. Don't bring a camera the first time, just let your mind do the imaging. You get the same pictures, for free, and you can recall them any time you want to. Don't bring your pooch, either. The facility will provide the critters. The whole place is wheelchair accessible for those who get around that way. Service animals are always welcome.