Space to breathe in

Cheese truck at the market!

It seems prescient that, in one of several ill-fated attempts at conversation with the English bloke at my last (my first) HelpExchange home, I read this quote: "Sometimes on the way to something good you go through a neighbourhood you're not all that happy being in. But it's all part of the clarifying process and without it, you wouldn't be where you are. And you discover that in hindsight all the time."

"Good bread workshop: Baked by wood fire"

I tried all week to make peace with being given The Silent Treatment by the bloke, feeling terribly awkward at meals and being shut up in my attic room so as to give him the wide berth he requested. My host's family was friendly, generous, talkative, and had excellent taste in food and wine, but when they weren't around I felt definitively suppressed by his presence. In short, I was happy to go.

Domaine Gaury

View from the porch-and dinner table

After scenic bus and train rides, Saturday I arrived at Domaine Gaury, the home of Kathleen and Yves from Belgium. Two years ago they purchased this property and turned it into a chambre d'hôtes, with three gîtes (vacation rental cottages). They can host up to 20 people on a magnificent parcel of land that borders a small fishing lake and farms of cereal grains with walking trails through neighboring woods. Kathleen is almost exactly one year older than me, and we spent the afternoon walking the grounds and conferring about life, punctuated by lunch and dinner and rounded off with watching The Tourist (the first movie I've seen in weeks!). I am staying in on of the cottages that I will shortly share with two other Helpers, a couple, arriving Monday.

The gîte where I'm staying

I am deeply appreciating the freedom I have, both to travel and to stay put when the gettin's good. I'm noticing with humility small details I could have all-too-quickly dismissed or diminished, and glad that the contrast against last week makes this stay feel even better! I'm happy to be a welcomed part of this family for a while, working in idyllic scenery and enjoying meals and playtime with new friends, their girls Amélie, Elisa, and Noëmi, and Trine the au pair from Denmark!

Enjoying a sunset walk

Noëmi with a bird whistle

 

Bella and Kira, my walk companions

Oh, and did I mention they opened the pool today??!

"All Moments Are Good"

There is never a step backwards. There is no regression. There is never a step backwards. There is never a step backwards. It's all motion-forward.

The thing that is tricky for humans to hear, because of your irrational and squirrely pictures of what you all think god is or goodness is or source energy is. It's hard for any of you to accept -- but you must, that sometimes on the way to something you really want, you will take a detour into something less wanted in order to clarify what IS wanted.

The best way we ever said it is: sometimes on the way to something good you go through a neighbourhood you're not all that happy being in. But it's all part of the clarifying process and without it, you wouldn't be where you are. And you discover that in hindsight all the time. But when you have the ability to have the foresight of that, that's when all moments are good, no matter what.

Asheville, NC, 10/24/12

 

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