We all live busy lives and I have come to believe that taking a mini break is some of the best self care we can offer ourselves. We live in the mountains, so for us an escape to big water seems to be what we crave. We are lucky enough to live near a large lake and are only a five hour drive to the coast. These are our “go to” places when we are in escape mode.
We are currently visiting friends in Martha’s Vineyard. Whenever a short escape involves a ferry ride, I know I’m onto a really good thing. Leaving the mainland is such a symbolic way of letting go.
With the mind hushed there is so much more space to experience sounds and smells and changing lights. We visited a beach here called Lucy Vincent on our first morning.
The dramatic rock formations, ethereal in the early morning.
We try not to have too much of an agenda when we are away. For us, it’s not about doing or seeing but more about being.
Our sail in the fog the next day certainly took away most of our visual references.
It became foggier and foggier as we left the mooring and entered the big water. It was as if the sun had burnt a hole in the fog just above us to let the light in, but all else was veiled.
Ghost ship in the fog.
We moved silently in nature’s spotlight. Without the usual visual cues, sounds became so much more intense…and important: foghorns and the bells on the buoys and engine rumbles in the distance were our only points of reference. (For all of you sailors who might be worried, yes, we did have radar.)
Short escapes are all about these sensory experiences that take us “away’ however briefly. It reminds me of the children’s story Frederick by Leo Lionni. While all the other mice are busy gathering food for the winter, Frederick is gathering colours and words because the winters are grey and long.
We might not have been furthering our winter preparations these last few days, but we have been filling with colours and words. We will bring these out on some cold winter day to give us nourishment of a different kind.
Pebbles and Clay 