Images of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington (and Kizzy-dog)
It had come to me not in a sudden epiphany but with a gradual sureness, a sense of meaning like a sense of place. When you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back; the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with the invisible crop of memories and associations that will be waiting for you when you come back, while new places offer up new thoughts, new possibilities. Exploring the world is one of the best ways of exploring the mind . . .
– Rebecca Solnit, from Wanderlust: A History of Walking
In the Delta, most of the world seemed sky. The clouds were large — larger than horses or houses, larger than boats or churches or gins, larger than anything except the fields the Fairchilds planted. Her nose in the banana skin as in the cup of a lily, she watched the Delta. The land was perfectly flat and level but it shimmered like the wing of a lighted dragonfly. It seemed strummed, as though it were an instrument and something had touched it. – Eudora Welty, from The American South
//One
I recently moved from east to west, across the United States and as moves do, it offered both magnificence and horrendousness. There’s a depth of grandeur in every geographic pocket along the drive west, the scale of which cannot adequately be described by a non-writer writer. The experience of traveling such a long distance led to an inner exploration of the idea of place, and where it sits in both real and literary worlds. Not just our physical surroundings, but the intangible qualities we associate with place. It includes our personal connections to and interpretations of a place — why the place is important to us and to others and how it makes us feel. Our attachments to a place and our affection for place are a part of our history as individuals and as a culture. The connections often take root from our childhood experiences, the memories we made and the stories we heard as we grew.
//Two
I spent the years 1992 through 2017 in the Owens Valley of Eastern California. This wondrous place is renowned for its unique topography and its striking contrasts in elevation―rising from the below-sea-level depths of Death Valley to the 14,496-foot peak of Mt. Whitney. It’s not difficult to seek the natural and cultural history embedded in the Owens Valley, since it’s been prolifically written about and photographed. There are numerous still-accessible accounts from Numu myth (the Paiute Indians), observations by nineteenth-century settlers, and excerpts from famous mountaineers, artists, writers, scientists, packers, and others who have been touched by the remote and magnificent beauty of the land. For me, it is where warm winds blow and old ways of carving a life no longer seem relevant. It is a place where personal growth arises from time spent outdoors, where humans commune with the wild and the sublime. It is where I first got married, where my two children were born and raised, where I had horses and the most remarkable group of women friends, and where I discovered the true value of community. This gift of place will forever be mine. With eyes closed, I can still feel the warmth of granite on my back while my dog and children run loose in the Sierra foothills.
Buttermilk Country, Sierra Nevada Foothills (Owens Valley, CA)
//Three
I’m in our new home on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. This is where I want to be as I approach late-life living, and being here affirms what I hoped would be true. I have my husband, Marc, and two dogs, and while my children have their own lives I still, and always will, hold them close. But as a new community member I’m only occasionally resisting the temptation to grab onto anyone with a smile who walks past me. For example: I came out of the sauna at our local Y and there was a woman changing from pool to street clothes. I noticed she dressed like me, jeans and t, so in an act of desperation went over and started talking. She/Lisa was receptive to my overture but goodness once I departed, that pesky sense of desperation took hold. Where are my people and how do I connect with them??!!
//Four
We’ve had numerous visitors since moving, if changing the guest-room bed sheets at least 6 times is indicative of the turnover. With every come and go I've felt more and more at home in my home. The imagery of beloveds gracing the house with warmth and well-wishes has made it near impossible for the hermit in me not to take note of the fact that I am indeed a social creature. There’s already inspiration a-plenty to be had in these walls that provide safety and comfort, but now it’s time for me to get out and explore the cultural, natural, and spiritual landscapes. I want to sit with someone and distill the important from the immaterial. I want to listen and to be heard. I’ll seek all the various distinctive local traits and along the way, the path toward community and connection will present itself.
//Four + one-half
Many of my posts lead readers away from the topic of nutrition health and preciously close to the topic of mental health. This has been a deliberate choice made as my coaching practice gains traction. Too often the language of health has been one that isolates the brain from the remaining ecosystem, as if the brain rests on an island all by itself. My need for whole-body exploration has served my own health best and reflects an approach the medical community often overlooks. We must move away from our fix-it mindsets and into the more holistic sphere of creation. In other words, fixing “it” reduces problems and solutions to non-sustainable outcomes, when in fact there’s generally much more needing to be addressed to feel better. Do you agree?
Mary Daniel is a Certified Nutrition Health Coach dedicated to the pursuit of good health, both for herself and others. Through her business, Your One Precious Life, she partners with clients and communities and in the spirit of collaboration, paves the way for health transformations.
Interested in a free health consultation? Visit: www.youroneprecioulife.com or email mary@youronepreciouslife.
.png)
Commentaires