The view caught me off guard. It was one I had likely “seen” thousands of times before. After all, I have been living in The Sanctuary for more than thirteen years and have walked into my bedroom every day since. Perhaps it was the real estate photographer’s gesture of pulling my curtains so far aside that drew my attention to the stunning scene playing out over my bed…Mama Willow standing guard over my quaint walking bridge, a bridge I had crossed often on my nature walks or leaned on the rails staring into the ever flowing waters of Gott Creek during times of intense thought. Or maybe it was Mama’s whisper calling me to notice her through the window.
The intense beauty of that stark image with the setting sun swept me away for a few moments. Once I collected my thoughts, I instinctively moved my gaze toward the other window, and noticed a similar demonstration of nature’s brilliance outside. I felt a twinge of sadness that soon I will surrender this space to a new owner.
The “For Sale” sign goes on the front lawn tomorrow. It’s time to move on to different friends, experiences and culture. Love and joy and new family await me there too. And in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where I am headed, there is much more greenery, deep woods, and a community that has an ingrained reverence for preservation of it all. Their jungle is not concrete, as my current one has become; their understanding of honoring the trees matches mine.
The timing is right. I am growing restless to begin my writing of the next life chapter and have an acute case of Facebook boredom. How many miles of scrolling do I have to travel before the posts all seem the same. I have reached my limit, and it’s high time for me to lift my eyes from the screen, snap out of my digital trance and return to my authentic reality of spontaneous living. Because so many now are finding satisfaction in the easier access to the online world, the offline neighborhood may be a lonelier place, but the hugs will be real and felt. I need that.
Before leaving the bedroom, I snapped a couple of photographs of the windows and will leave the curtains spread wide so potential buyers may experience what little nature is left in my town. May the new owners find serenity in this pleasant meditative space as I have.
FROM THE SANCTUARY
The mourning doves are pairing up on the electrical wires across the street every morning now as the sun rises. A day of March snowfall coated the ground in white, reminding us that it is still winter, even though the daffodil stalks are several inches tall. Days later purple arrived in the form of crocuses and creeping myrtle. Oh how sweet it is to have color back. The ever present deer arrive daily, paying no mind to the squirrels. And windy days shake the maple branches that are alive with the warm weather budding. Spring is coming alive, ignoring the ridiculous human processes that have come about over time for acquiring property in New York State. She is busy changing outside as I sit inside filling out lengthy and expensive forms for my required septic inspection. “Easy come, easy go” is the intended pun that comes to mind to keep me laughing. The next time bureaucracy gets too frustrating for me, I will open my curtains a bit wider or head for the walking bridge.
I have loved writing this blog from my Sanctuary in Clarence, New York. I don’t quite know exactly what my housing arrangements will be in Ohio. Like a gently floating dandelion seed, my destination remains a mystery. But you can bet that I will be planted firmly in the perfect spot, and the new Sanctuary will be just as glorious to share about and blossom in. I can’t wait to write to you about it!
Happy Spring All with Love!
