The River
This is a photo of a river taken on our recent trip to Wales.
Do I change like a river, widening and deepening, eddying back on myself sometimes, bursting my banks sometimes when there’s too much water, too much life in me, and sometimes dried up from lack of rain? Will the I that is me grow and widen and deepen? Or will I stagnate and become an arid riverbed? Will I allow people to dam me up and confine me to wall so that I flow only where they want? Will I allow them to turn me into a canal to use for they own purposes? Or will I make sure I flow freely, coursing my way through the land and ploughing a valley of my own?”
― Aidan Chambers, This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn
I love this quote, it’s great advice for life. I know I’ve experienced so much life being a river, even a canal. I fear that I’ve now becoming an arid riverbed, I need something to keep me running this race called life. Something more to make me flow.
Yesterday was a bad day, but I don’t want to call them bad days, it sounds so negative. Suggestions given to me on Twitter were, rest days (well, I certainly rested being unable to move for at least two hours!) or Gathering Day, where you need to recoup and gather energy to go on.
They both sound better than bad day or sick day. I have to confess though; the pain was so bad at one point I was beginning to think it was my last day.
The Field.
Another photo from Wales, I’ve not been out this week and I’m missing fresh air and views. I rarely get views like this, Which I took outside the Tynrhyd Retreat where I stayed.
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’
doesn’t make any sense.
By Rumi
I was sent this quote on Twitter. I remember seeing it at the end the television drama, The Victim. Sometimes we need to take ourselves away from the world in front of us and just focus on us instead. It’s hard to do but it brings many rewards. In The Victim they used the quote as a kind of forgiveness. So much wrong doing had been done it was hard to conceive and the only way to move forward was to forgive. To take away the reasoning and focus on the wellbeing and conciousness of those involved.
Maybe I need to forgive myself for being sick. I get so angry sometimes at myself. It’s so frustrating that I can’t do the things I used to do and then I take it out on others, blaming them for not doing it.
I need to go into a field and lie down, just look around at the beauty of nature and forget the world and it’s woes. Forget myself and my pain. Forget the stresses of life. It may be impossible now, but one day I want to be the ashes beneath a cherry tree. I want to live in that field forever.
You can read more about my time at The Flea Retreat in Wales here.
Lovely captures, I am much more of a fan of the countryside just for the amazing views.
What a gorgeous landscape! I love those green rolling hills.
Have a nice weekend!
Cheers
Fantastic photos. I remember our vacation in Wales fondly, a beautiful place, vast and very green.
Amalia
xo
What beautiful scenes and fantastic quotes.
So sorry you had a bad day. x
Beautiful photos! And interesting analogies. I don’t know what your illness is, but I too have a chronic illness – fibromyalgia (or maybe chronic fatigue syndrome – the doctors are a little flakey on that account). I just want to offer some solidarity for what that is worth.
Lovely photos and yes I to am similar if I have had a tough day I need a rest day to recover and come to accept that it is ok to rest and look after yourself X #mysundaysnapshot
Beautiful shot. I think it’s hard not to get angry, even angry at others, when you’re struggling with health. Cut yourself some slack and be kind to yourself.
I’m so sorry to hear about your bad day. It must get very frustrating at times. I hope there are no more days as bad as that for a while.
The photos are beautiful.
I’m sorry that life is being so tough on you. Being in physical pain can certainly have profound effects on your mental well-being too, taking much of the joy out of living. I really hope you’ve got many better days ahead now, and that you can get outdoors to watch the clouds sail across the skies and smell the flowers around you.
Beautiful photos from Wales, I’d like to go there some time. I very much like the quote about the river too, very relatable xx
#MMBC
Beautiful landscape views. Wishing you a great week! #MMBC
I love the sweep of the landscape in both your photos. Bigger than us all. Makes me want to follow the stream. I like that you’ve found positive expressions to use. I hope it helps you. Hopefully you’ll be able to get out more this week. Although if you’re weather is like ours, you might want an umbrella. #MMBC
Wales is just such a beautiful place to explore isn’t it #mysundaysnapshot
Stunning landscape. There’s a really important message in this post, thank you for sharing. Big hugs to you xxx #sundaysnap
What a wonderful landscape. Such a gorgeous view x #sundaysnap
I think being in the countryside or seeing photos of it does make us reflect more. It helps to unclutter the mind but sometimes those thoughts aren’t the best. Everybody has bad days regardless of their situation so don’t worry about moaning!
I like the idea of rest days and Gathering Day! Definitely sounds better than bad day. Love your photos of the gorgeous countryside.
Thank you so much for linking up on Wandering Camera!!
-Soma
Such beautiful photos and stunning scenery! Thanks for sharing your snaps and thanks for linking up with #MySundaySnapshot.
Such gorgeous photos and quotes. Glad you had a good time there at the retreat!
#mysundaysnapshot sorry it’s so late