There once was a time when choices were simple.
When we were children we made simple, straightforward decisions about our preferences. When did that change?
Back in 1999 I submitted an article to a writing competition, which I’m delighted to say was published in the book “Sweating with the Finns: Sauna Stories from North America”. I’m pleased to say that its inclusion means that it’s also housed in the archives at Lakehead University, and in the Finnish Literature Society folklore collection in Helsinki, Finland.
To all those who’ve never experienced the Sauna, and to all those who have, I hope you’ll enjoy this adapted excerpt from my story: one that is dear to my heart.
The sauna at Tarmola was a special place. I can see it in my mind’s eye to this day. Perched part way up a huge hill, it was accessible only by a granite slab pathway. The granite was hot to my bare feet during the day, but in the evenings, at sauna time, the granite was cool and smooth and beautiful.
Do you stop, take notice and slow down to heed the remarkable?I love the word “remarkable”. I think the word itself sounds…well, remarkable.
There’s something about the soft roll of the “r” and the comfy sound of the “m”, contrasted against the staccato “k” and bold “b” that puts me in mind of the yin and yang of what creates the extraordinary, the notable and the unique.
Do you remember the days when milk was delivered by horse drawn milk wagon? Sweet memories.
Chocolate brown galoshes; sparkling silver buckles. Ugly as sin and as much a part of my Canadian winters as snow as high as the sky. A forever memory. A boomer reflection.
I collect antiques. I love things old and vintage, especially since they often express themselves in a wabi sabi way…perfection in imperfection.
I love the dents and nicks, marks and wear that vintage items possess.
I imagine what each piece might have experienced, endured and triumphed through.
I never lose pleasure in taking a closer look at a piece, feeling its texture and smiling at its imagined story.
The other day, when I was being quite mindless, I smacked one of my flow blue dishes to the floor accidentally, and CRASH!!!…it broke into bits.
I had an interesting conversation with someone recently: one that opened the door to my eyes as to why some people are continually disappointed with their results. And it has to do with the concepts of acceptance and expectation.
There’s a story I heard once (I wish I remember where), that happened on a trail called the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain.