Great photo and description of your experience. Recalling Thoreau, perhaps solitude is a learned skill, necessary for a complete and full life. I am reminded of a comment by Thich Nhat Hanh: "Our true home is what the Buddha called the island of self, the peaceful place inside of us. Oftentimes we don’t notice it’s there; we don’t even really know where we are, because our outer and inner environment is filled with noise. We need some quietness to find that island of self."
This is a beautiful comment. I find that I need more than quietness. Just the presence of another person can separate me from the peaceful island of self. The day after I left the cabin, I went to an AirBnB in Providence, R.I. The host was deeply depressed and had a very negative energy. I could feel myself withering and shrinking in her presence--even when I holed up in my room. The very house, though beautiful, felt like a black hole of despair. I could hardly wait to run away.
Hi Lynn, Great to read your stuff! You probably already know this but Byrd wrote that later in his life while living in Maine. I love that sort of solitary life and do so, though nowhere near that remote from modern trappings. Hope you are well and making through the maelstrom with which we have been hit. All the best. (Shackleton's "Endurance" is a similar tale).
Thank you for the recommendation of Shackleton's Endurance. I am a lightweight when it comes to facing harsh physical challenges--other than Wisconsin winters.
You had me at "Deuter’s “Enchanted Summer Night.” It’s a magical song, like what fairies would play at a woodland gathering."
Great photo and description of your experience. Recalling Thoreau, perhaps solitude is a learned skill, necessary for a complete and full life. I am reminded of a comment by Thich Nhat Hanh: "Our true home is what the Buddha called the island of self, the peaceful place inside of us. Oftentimes we don’t notice it’s there; we don’t even really know where we are, because our outer and inner environment is filled with noise. We need some quietness to find that island of self."
This is a beautiful comment. I find that I need more than quietness. Just the presence of another person can separate me from the peaceful island of self. The day after I left the cabin, I went to an AirBnB in Providence, R.I. The host was deeply depressed and had a very negative energy. I could feel myself withering and shrinking in her presence--even when I holed up in my room. The very house, though beautiful, felt like a black hole of despair. I could hardly wait to run away.
Hi Lynn, Great to read your stuff! You probably already know this but Byrd wrote that later in his life while living in Maine. I love that sort of solitary life and do so, though nowhere near that remote from modern trappings. Hope you are well and making through the maelstrom with which we have been hit. All the best. (Shackleton's "Endurance" is a similar tale).
Thank you for the recommendation of Shackleton's Endurance. I am a lightweight when it comes to facing harsh physical challenges--other than Wisconsin winters.