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Inge and I are away at the lake with our books and writing tablets, tucked in under the rickrack of oak leaves outside. Indoors, surrounded by knotty pine, we're reading, writing and talking by the fire. Each fall and spring we escape after work for a weekend at my family’s cottage where it seems that within minutes of arriving our spirits are relit.
We quietly watch logs in the fireplace, like our souls: steady, certain, whole. Strike a match, light kindling, and flames cup and curl around them, like our spirits, which must be fed by some fuel. Without time in solitude, away from pressing routines, even for a few minutes a day in my red chair at home, my spirit lags. I must locate my soul, hidden in the thick maze of this chaotic life. I must hold her face in my hands. I remember, then, what it is I want. This is not narcissistic hedonism, but a force divine and true that guides me in calibrating my steps through this hectic and crazy-making world.
I will catch up with you in a couple of days.
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I must locate my soul, hidden in the thick maze of this chaotic life. I must hold her face in my hands.
ReplyDeletei must do this daily. and no, this is not about ego or narcissism, this is about being present and whole. i hear you and understand you. it is almost like drawing up a chair beside the self and patting our own knee, sitting back and not necessarily speaking at all.
you two have an incredible time))) i do not believe you need me to say this.)
xo
erin
Ah, soul space opening up to relieve chaos. I too feel this need and must release myself from obligation every so often to reconnect to what is true and caring and loving of me to that I can be true and caring and loving in the world around me.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time. Your freindship. Your retreat.
Namaste.
Take your time, Ruth, during this precious time. And thank you for sharing some of its immediate impact. I hope more will follow.
ReplyDeleteQuiet solitude, comfortable companionship, walking in beauty. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time. Books and writing tablets & a fire in the FP sounds like heaven to me.
ReplyDeleteruth! the arc and trajectory of the lines in the top photograph are stories that underscore the telling of this, your own story - the stepping back and the welcoming of the return of your self. steven
ReplyDeleteLooks so inviting there - a place to refuel the spirit.
ReplyDeleteI love the image of you holding the face of your soul in your hands saying: welcome. Good for you for taking time to do that.
ReplyDeleteEssential time that too many never get, or do not realize they need. I am so glad you both have such a place. It brings me back to "my lake." (Other people may claim the lake, but it's actually MINE.)
ReplyDeleteYour words and photographs tell it all so beautifully. May you and your soul have a wonderful reunion.
Take that time.
ReplyDeleteYour soul is awaiting.
R & R:
ReplyDeleteI see refraction & reflection in the second image - did you take that pic through the LR doors from the porch side?
Do our souls refract as well as they reflect?
Do enjoy the rest of your R & R!
I really enjoyed the picture of the ear of corn, peaking out from the maze of parchmenting stalks.
ReplyDeleteBe well~
It must feel wonderful to get away there - I can almost smell the smoke from a fire and the fresh crisp air.
ReplyDeleteI identify with this need. Necessity, not selfishness. Relish your soul-time. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteahhhhhh.....
ReplyDeleteI know that you and Inge will be having a wonderful weekend, Ruth. For a brief moment at least, the two of you have found what Eliot called "the still point of a turning world." Peace and good wishes to both of you.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm...yum. How to keep priorities.
ReplyDeleteSolitude, peace, nature--it heals, and with friendship, companionship and a roaring fire, you are as close to paradise as this earth can bring, I think. The photographs look like they are taken from there anyway. Thanks for generously sharing this time with all of us who need a little of that stuff.
ReplyDeletewonder-full!
ReplyDeleteStopping here was a "re-ignite" for me in and of itself.
ReplyDeletelovely.
I love this post! Everyone needs an Inge with whom we can simply revel in mutual interests, cozy up to nature and enjoy all that is there, and simply mellow in good conversations, books, joy.
ReplyDeleteI've been blog visiting absent, too -- on the road, lots else. So, I'm doing a little catching up here!
Enjoy!
This is what I totally understand! I will be a moment with you there by looking at our foggy lake from the cottage`s veranda in the middle of forests.
ReplyDeleteAnd I feel peace of mind.
I think I can smell the solitude you are enjoying. And you have "smoke on the water" which adds a lot to the atmosphere. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteerin, I came from an upbringing in which loving another was more important and preferable than loving oneself. Now I believe you don't really have much to offer another without watering your own garden.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Louise. It is in everyone's interest if we care for ourselves. We are better friends, parents, spouses when we are whole.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elisabeth. Whatever follows will be, in part, a result of having this time away, even if I don't write about it directly, which I may, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Ellen. Inge and I counted our blessings all weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks, California Girl. Believe me, we recognized heaven when we experienced it.
ReplyDeletesteven, a time of reflection, and yes, the morning scene felt just right in that lake and sky. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteBarb, Hukilau, our cottage, is a healing place; you feel it as soon as you get out of your car.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary. It's nice now that Inge and I don't even make the choice to do this or not, it just is on our calendar.
ReplyDeleteJeanetteLS, thank you for your affirmation.
ReplyDeleteYour own lake?? Incredible!
rosaria, how patient they are, our souls, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nelson. Yes, the shot is from the porch through the French doors into the LR. I like your question about the soul Refracting and Reflecting, and the new designations for R & R. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, MJ. I think you would have been as maisemerized with the corn field as we were. I couldn't stop creating new photos from different angles. The colors were subtle and rich.
ReplyDeleteHello, Sandy! This is the time of year I love driving home from work in the evening and smelling the wood smoke in the air.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Robert. Our days were punctuated with "Aren't we lucky?"
ReplyDeleteVioletski, care for a row around the lake?
ReplyDeleteGeorge, thank you for understanding the pivotal time Inge and I set aside and for wishing us well. We did feel deep peace, synchronicity and serendipity.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pat, it was almost too good to be true!
ReplyDeleteAmy, we are so grateful for these times, and I also feel they are essential.
ReplyDeleteHedge, thank you for understanding, for recognizing the abundance of what those hours meant to us. I hope you will get some of your own, as you are able.
ReplyDeleteAllison, yes, simply so. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely, Oh, I'm oh so glad.
ReplyDeleteJeanie, Everyone needs an Inge, no truer words were ever said. We are constantly dumbfounded that we continue to share our lives in tandem eight years running.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see you, and I look forward to catching up on you too.
Mimmu, I have seen so many sunrises and sunsets like this at your lake from here, and I know your "office" on the deck is heaven under the trees for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sonya. Most mornings in October open in this mist, and I almost missed it yesterday, but thankfully I got down there and felt the magic.
ReplyDeleteIf I close my eyes, I'm there.
ReplyDelete"This is not narcissistic hedonism..." This is the essence of life. Stripped of schedules and busyness, what do we have left? You're so fortunate and blessed Ruth to have someone to explore and experience with you the essence of being, of communion with nature and creation. It is a true blessing indeed to have a writing and reading companion. I wish you and Inge all the best in your hiatus.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to have this precious time with a precious friend....
ReplyDeleteAhhh. Replenish and refresh. Good for you (all senses)!
ReplyDeleteHow nice to have a place like that to return to, now and then!
ReplyDeleteLetty, through our worm hole, yes.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Arti. It was wonderfully perfect, and very much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you, Oliag. Such a luxury.
ReplyDeleteds, how did you know? We ate well too. :-) Don made Korean bulgogi for us to take, and wow, was that amazing!
ReplyDeleteOui, Peter! A nearby retreat that beckons to us, and we listen!
ReplyDeleteYou are so fortunate to have a rural retreat like this ... it's hard to hear the deeper, quieter voices without this sort of solitude. Everything looks beautiful. Looking forward to reading what sang forth. - Brendan
ReplyDeleteBrendan, it is a heavenly haven of rest, healing to the bone and soul. I didn't do any new writing on the weekend, but I'll report soon . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks a bunch.
I loved this, especially the picture of the interior of the cabin. What a beautiful place and how wise of you to give yourself that peaceful time.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite time of the year at the cottage, Ruth. I would go there now every year if I could. You are doing it in my stead, so thank you for showing it to me...again.
ReplyDelete