I'm always open to suggestions. And when I saw that Sun Magazine (one my favorite places for great photography, poetry, and essays) was open to topics/themes, I didn't hesitate. I, of course, suggested: Relationship to Landscape.
I've asked this question a million times, "Are we shaped by landscape, or does it shape us?"
Having left the Central Valley for almost nine months, I felt a pit grow in the center of being. I stopped writing, slept, and spent a majority of my time commuting into San Francisco for work--up to three hours a day. On the bus, I had plenty of time "think" or simply stare. I worked out all these literary equations. But in the end, I realized, regardless of what hoards of money one might make, if you've become detached from your soulful landscape, the spirit will ultimately suffer.
Some of these things seem obvious. Other times, we have to live them to understand them. Cliches have a backhand that can burn--even when we see it coming in our direction.
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As I learn more and more of my new profession within the "World of Seniors", my biggest surprise is that "they" now have the ability and time to appreciate the beauty of everyday life. When we are younger our routines are so pushed and fast paced that we do not take the time to "look and listen" to our landscape as we do when we are "older and wiser". I learned this insightful moment one lazy afternoon at my extremely plush lakeside retreat located in Wedowee, Alabama - as my then husband and I at the time were having issues. I took a lounge chaise and pulled it from the covered hot tub area to the sunny outdoors, into the new tender green grass to "catch some rays". I did not anticipate my Dad to pull up a chair along side me, but as my coined nickname for him "Yoda" - he had words of wisdom to depart my way. He must have seen the sadness in my eyes, and felt the sorrow of my heart - even though my pearl white teeth displayed in a even smile during most conversations. Parents know their children. He told me to to be still and look and listen to nature - as much is to be learned. And then he told me of habits of different species - to close his sermon with, "Even red birds hang out with red birds"...in his own way he was telling me that me and my husband were different birds and that it just does not work out smoothly. Life is a puzzle that we work on day by day.
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