The sea---the gulls, wind, rocks and chooks; stopping in the main street, or greeting every person I meet on the doggie walks, sometimes---OK---MOSTLY forgetting the owners name but remembering the dogs---taking a minute that stretches into 20--even Perdy has become more patient, simply sitting and accepting the inevitable---that 'daddy is gonna gabble on about the garden and God knows what.' I leave home for the walk at 8.30, expecting to arrive home before the hour is up----come on---it NEVER happens. By the time I have helped to sure the ills of the world, traded a recipe, sought advice re the chooks---I am almost ready for morning tea. Yes, I have morning tea and sometimes I even serve it on nice china!
The Coast had 'slowed me down,' I 'notice' the direction of the wind, the colours of the clouds, the size of the swell, the shape of the waves, how far the tide has come in, the new rocks on the beach, cast on the shoreline from the nights storm or the higher than usual river flow---all these events often overshadowing the nastiness of the world beyond my humble abode and place of residence.
I know it's still 'out there,' but I am not as obsessed with it, even though I get angry and sometimes write my usual diatribes against the 'wrongs,' the fools who rule us, the egos of the latter and the dangerous direction the world is taking. Perhaps I am gathering my thoughts, in a balanced manner, readying myself to take part again on the side of a 'good cause.' Part of me prefers to 'keep it as it is,' exploring those sides of myself, that I had not realized were important.
I don't want to bury myself in the safety of the Coast, because even here there is suffering, wrongness and 'stuff' that should not happen. I have not sought work in my particular skill set; I have immersed myself in more simple pursuits, but I know that soon, very soon, I shall seek out opportunities to contribute, in the paid workforce (but not full-time) and in the voluntary sector. Indeed, I have taken the first step re the latter.
My time-frame is 'flexible.The Coast has been kind to me and it is my home now. I have not forgotten the 'big smoke,' 80 minutes up the road. No doubt I will point the bonnet of my car in that direction and visit friends, family and places I still love, yet certain in the knowledge that I have found 'my place, at the new slower pace---on the Coast.
The Coast had 'slowed me down,' I 'notice' the direction of the wind, the colours of the clouds, the size of the swell, the shape of the waves, how far the tide has come in, the new rocks on the beach, cast on the shoreline from the nights storm or the higher than usual river flow---all these events often overshadowing the nastiness of the world beyond my humble abode and place of residence.
I know it's still 'out there,' but I am not as obsessed with it, even though I get angry and sometimes write my usual diatribes against the 'wrongs,' the fools who rule us, the egos of the latter and the dangerous direction the world is taking. Perhaps I am gathering my thoughts, in a balanced manner, readying myself to take part again on the side of a 'good cause.' Part of me prefers to 'keep it as it is,' exploring those sides of myself, that I had not realized were important.
I don't want to bury myself in the safety of the Coast, because even here there is suffering, wrongness and 'stuff' that should not happen. I have not sought work in my particular skill set; I have immersed myself in more simple pursuits, but I know that soon, very soon, I shall seek out opportunities to contribute, in the paid workforce (but not full-time) and in the voluntary sector. Indeed, I have taken the first step re the latter.
My time-frame is 'flexible.The Coast has been kind to me and it is my home now. I have not forgotten the 'big smoke,' 80 minutes up the road. No doubt I will point the bonnet of my car in that direction and visit friends, family and places I still love, yet certain in the knowledge that I have found 'my place, at the new slower pace---on the Coast.
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