PEAKES ISLAND MAINE
Today I'm feeling better about life-both the life I've had and my future.
This morning when walking up to Cranberry Lake with Tom and the dogs, I was going ahead, with Polly trailing behind me obediently on the reel out leash which I feed through the belt to my belly bag so I can have my hands free to use my trekking poles. The bag is where I keep an extra belt for Bear and snacks for the dogs. There is also the constant camera on hand just in case, for snapshots of things besides memories, but some of them too are nice... most of them are just in my mind's eye.
This morning the picture that came into view was in my mind. The wood smoke from a cottage wafted in my direction and I was immediately transported in my own Wrinkle in Time to the back shore of Peakes Island where as a preteen and teen we used to vacation there in the summer. I was suddenly in my minds eye at the edge of the rocky shore where we would have wiener roasts using the fragrant driftwood. I could practically hear the waves splashing over the rocky shore. I could hear Aunt Eleanor's lilting laughter. My mother's sister in law, married to her brother Herman, about 15 years younger than him, Aunt Eleanor was my favorite aunt. She was everything I wanted to be, pretty even in glasses. I almost wanted glasses as a teen just because of Eleanor looking so good in hers. It seemed part of her personality, as they sparkled like her laughter.
Later in life I saw a picture of someone I didn't recognize from a family gathering I hadn't attended, and my brother Pete said, "That's Aunt Eleanor." She had gotten contact lenses. I was disappointed. It's funny how you get used to seeing a beloved person in a certain way and you don't want their looks to change no matter what "they want". Perhaps because of that, the last time I could have seen Eleanor was at my mother's funeral's reception after. I hadn't known she was there, and no one pointed her out, as they just assumed I'd gone over to reminisce. I rue that, as it was the last time I'd have seen her, as she died of breast cancer some years after. That makes me sad, but this morning, going through a time warp and feeling, smelling the smoke of the wood fire, and my mind's view of the past gave me such a sense of peace and pleasure that I only experienced that back shore picnic all over again.
Tom seldom if ever reminisces. Who knows, maybe that was one of his finer points when marrying him, as my family did that to a fault. I don't think I reminisce with others too much, but when I thrill in memory to almost experiencing a wonderful time all over again, it's better than really getting into a good book where you feel like you are there. Memories of the good times are the mountain top experiences in life... meaning the highs. Valleys can be beautiful, but the sad experiences that one compares to valleys aren't. I hope others, when they look back, can see the mountain top experiences of the best times in their lives. It's a mini vacation any of us can take whether on a walk, or lying in bed trying to sleep. What a great place to go when you want some repose and a good place for meditation.
:-)
Today I'm feeling better about life-both the life I've had and my future.
This morning when walking up to Cranberry Lake with Tom and the dogs, I was going ahead, with Polly trailing behind me obediently on the reel out leash which I feed through the belt to my belly bag so I can have my hands free to use my trekking poles. The bag is where I keep an extra belt for Bear and snacks for the dogs. There is also the constant camera on hand just in case, for snapshots of things besides memories, but some of them too are nice... most of them are just in my mind's eye.
This morning the picture that came into view was in my mind. The wood smoke from a cottage wafted in my direction and I was immediately transported in my own Wrinkle in Time to the back shore of Peakes Island where as a preteen and teen we used to vacation there in the summer. I was suddenly in my minds eye at the edge of the rocky shore where we would have wiener roasts using the fragrant driftwood. I could practically hear the waves splashing over the rocky shore. I could hear Aunt Eleanor's lilting laughter. My mother's sister in law, married to her brother Herman, about 15 years younger than him, Aunt Eleanor was my favorite aunt. She was everything I wanted to be, pretty even in glasses. I almost wanted glasses as a teen just because of Eleanor looking so good in hers. It seemed part of her personality, as they sparkled like her laughter.
Later in life I saw a picture of someone I didn't recognize from a family gathering I hadn't attended, and my brother Pete said, "That's Aunt Eleanor." She had gotten contact lenses. I was disappointed. It's funny how you get used to seeing a beloved person in a certain way and you don't want their looks to change no matter what "they want". Perhaps because of that, the last time I could have seen Eleanor was at my mother's funeral's reception after. I hadn't known she was there, and no one pointed her out, as they just assumed I'd gone over to reminisce. I rue that, as it was the last time I'd have seen her, as she died of breast cancer some years after. That makes me sad, but this morning, going through a time warp and feeling, smelling the smoke of the wood fire, and my mind's view of the past gave me such a sense of peace and pleasure that I only experienced that back shore picnic all over again.
Tom seldom if ever reminisces. Who knows, maybe that was one of his finer points when marrying him, as my family did that to a fault. I don't think I reminisce with others too much, but when I thrill in memory to almost experiencing a wonderful time all over again, it's better than really getting into a good book where you feel like you are there. Memories of the good times are the mountain top experiences in life... meaning the highs. Valleys can be beautiful, but the sad experiences that one compares to valleys aren't. I hope others, when they look back, can see the mountain top experiences of the best times in their lives. It's a mini vacation any of us can take whether on a walk, or lying in bed trying to sleep. What a great place to go when you want some repose and a good place for meditation.
:-)
posted by Cranberry Jo @ 7/13/2011 11:21:00 AM
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