This little space is a shelter, and refuge. It is a safe place, a cozy place, a place that fits how I want to be in the world. There is nothing overwhelming about it - it is not difficult to clean, not too expensive to own or to heat or to keep. I have few payments and no mortgage.
The house also helps me to remember to cut down on what I have, consider what I buy and be more mindful of the kind of lifestyle I want to live. It is comfortable and practical and designed by me, for me, so it fits me. Perhaps things will change, but at this point, I wouldn't want to live in bigger house.
Life has been busy, as usual I suppose, though it seems that things are moving faster and I am away from home a lot. However, there has been time to relax at home from time to time, and to just be thankful for the silence. I have gone out on the lake at night several times in the past week, paddling softly on the dark water and being expanded by the stars. Last night it was very windy, but I went out for a short paddle during a bit of a lull. The milky way arched across the sky and a patch of faintly green northern lights hung as a counterpoint in the southeast.
Today, clouds have returned and it has been raining for most of the afternoon. Now the air is still again, and the lake is a dark mirror, reflecting the damp October grays and blacks. Only occasional brushes of dampened gold remain, water-coloured lightly by the late fall forest.
Only a week ago it was much different, with brilliant sprays of golden orange in dazzling sunshine. I paddled to the island and spent a few hours on the hilltop there, soaking in the last of summer.
The seasons turn and winter will be here soon, but I'm glad to be in my little home, and looking forward to what the turning of seasons will bring. There is a great deal to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend. I feel very grateful for all of the circumstances that have brought me here, the friends and family who have helped to make it possible, John and Jen for providing a place to park my house, the abundance that makes itself known all around me, and the silence deep beneath everything else - that deep stillness that whispers - "everything is OK".
Wishing you all a weekend of deep gratitude for all that is present in your lives - the kind of gratitude that recognizes what is already here and opens the gate to receive more of what life has to give...
