Refreshing
Stephen and I drove into the countryside yesterday to visit friends.
About half way there, when we reached the bush line, I immediately felt my energies begin to change. The closer we got to our friends' place, the better I felt.
I always enjoy these visits and this one, particularly so. I think the busy-ness of Christmas and the lack of fine weather preventing my regular beach visits had been impacting me more than I realised.
Our friends' dwelling is set amongst mature totara trees, sided by two streams, with some red jasper boulders thrown into the mix. The energy is unreal, particularly as the seating is undercover but with a whole open side, ensuring there is no barrier between the trees, birds and us. There is a curtain which can be pulled if the rains come but even with this closed, there is still a strong connection to the outdoors.
These friends live off-grid and I am sure their life is not easy. There must be a constant need for firewood to fuel the coal range, for example. A visit, such as ours, gets the best of it. We can enjoy the beauty and energy without the work involved.
I have talked in previous blogs about how much I miss the land. Living like this would be too hard for me now, though I would have loved that lifestyle when I was younger. There is nothing like a direct connection to the outdoors, without the buzzing of internet and electrical appliances that plague a modern house.
Is this constant 'noise' the cause of my current ill-health I sometimes wonder? I know I have not felt that good since we got internet. And it is after visits such as yesterday's that I find myself asking this question once again. The difference in how I was feeling was so noticeable yesterday as I entered the peacefulness of the bush. I felt uplifted on the journey home, but it didn’t take long, once back inside our house, to feel that overwhelming tiredness return.
Perhaps it is time to switch the wi-fi off and rather than heading for the couch, which sits opposite the internet connection, go outside instead. Imagine if the fix was that simple.