Feathers and Flowers: Retreats

Sometimes you have to step out of the game to stay in. Meditation, prayer, nature, music, art, or-- whatever? Just being quiet for a few minutes and trying to let go of your big old self-centered Self. Easier said than done.

That wild clematis vitalba is spreading right around the rocking chair in our gazebo. It's listing and the plywood floor is starting to rot, but I like to sit in there with coffee or in a pleasant winey mood after dinner. I can see most of the flower garden while the noisy world passes by just on the other side of the hedge. It reminds me of a fairy tale place. Our entire house would soon be swallowed up if we weren't endlessly cutting back vegetation.

The years sped past. In the castle grounds, the trees grew tall. The bushes became thick and straggling, the grass invaded the courtyards and the creepers spread up the walls. In a hundred years, a dense forest grew up.

From, Sleeping Beauty
Published in 1697 by Charles Perrault Tales of Mother Goose.