The Lakes


Do you ever have one of those days... or weeks... or months... or years... when you're kind of done with life as it is and you find yourself looking at your watch (or up at God) and wondering, "How much longer?" How many more days do I have to go through until it's over? How many more difficult people do I have to deal with until I can be done? When can I relax without the stress, the pressure, the expectations and superficiality of society, the feeling that I should be doing more, or at least fitting in... 

This is how I've felt lately... like I don't belong in this world of busyness, perfection, and chaos. But not to worry, I'm not saying this in complete depression or despair... it's said more with a long sigh, and I wonder how many other people feel the same. If we all got together, would most of us feel this way? What if those of us that felt this way could all move to an island together... or for me, I would prefer a lakeside village. Here we could all rest, relax, live in peace, and practice our art by the lake. Okay I'll be honest, I have no talent for art, or singing, or playing an instrument, or poetry, but I would love walking around and enjoying all of your art, while I listened to your music, and read your poetry... and then I could write about it. Lately I've been wishing to go to a place such as this and become submersed in the calmness of the atmosphere. I have also been reading Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, which ironically is about accepting ourselves, and life, for what it is. It's probably not a coincidence that my daughter gave me this book recently seeing as though my thoughts are not on life as it is right now, and, instead, on living by a lake with all of you good people in peace and quiet. Perhaps the universe is telling me that I need to focus on the here and now, even if it's not ideal at the moment. This book reminds us that it's the experience, good or bad, that's important in life, and if we will let it, we will find the experience to be enlightening, fulfilling, and surprisingly satisfying, if not now, but eventually. 

So Instead of focusing all my attention on a place that isn't real, I'm trying to enjoy, or at least experience my experience for all it's worth in the moment. I've been planning my daughters graduation trip, which gives me something to look forward to. It also gets me thinking about other trips I'd like to take, one of which is a trip to Bamburgh, England where my ancestry comes from. Bambrough is my maiden name so visiting this small coastal village lined with cobblestone streets, quaint shops, and Bamburgh castle, is right up my alley. Not to mention, it just happens to be a hop, skip, and a jump away... 3 hr train ride to the Windermere Lakes (the Lakes Taylor Swift sings about in her song The Lakes), another place I long to visit!

Now back to reality... I'm not sure if this dream will come true, I know I need to appreciate and accept what's happening right at this moment... but we can always dream. And, who knows, maybe, just maybe, I'll find myself heading off sooner than I think to a quiet, peaceful place where everything's beautiful, natural, and calm and where I can have my own surreal experience in the present at a place they call The Lakes...

"Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry"




    


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