The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight.”
― Ways of Seeing
I get lost in so many things and for this I feel eternally blessed. Sure, it would be nice to fixate one or two things but my life’s never been like that.
If lockdown has taught me anything, though, is that if we’re not careful we can pull down the escape hatch and disappear into a life of ennui or at least one devoid of aliveness. This isn’t an oblique way of saying we’re struggling with our mental health. We are, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.
Of late, spurred on by listening to “The Wild Silence” by Raynor Winn and then getting lost in the nature writing of the British Isles, I’ve once again started to examine my locus and I’ve been blown away by just how much exists. All I need do is: stop, listen, look and absorb nature’s radiance. And, yes, I’m very lucky living on the edge of Dartmoor and not having to drive anywhere but it’s my fervent belief that we can find beauty in this world if only we’ve eyes to see. I know, such a cliché but then again, with such a heavy burden hanging in the air, it takes a lot of effort to pull us out the funk of despair and, using all our sense-making abilities, look with a fresh pair of eyes at whatever catches our attention — hopefully not too much TikTok or Clubhouse!
And no, this isn’t another Summerhayes exhortation. If anything, it’s pointing to something we all know but perhaps need to re-explore in a soulful, spiritual way.
Anyhow, have a wonderful day.
Photo by bantersnaps on Unsplash