When my iPod alarm sounded at 6 a.m., it was windy and clouds were churning across the sky and past the windows of our little cabin. The only sound I could hear was the rush of wind through the trees and the splash of waves on rocks (even the tree frogs were quiet). I sat up and tuned in with all my senses, deeply aware of the rawness of nature around me. It was exhilarating. I got dressed and went for a walk.
The wind is your best defence against mosquitos. I wandered over to my yoga rock with the dog and I meditated for about 15 minutes. Then I breathed and gazed out over the water. I visited the swimming rocks (but didn't swim) then headed back to the cabin to wake up the girlfriend. I made early-morning pancakes for the gang and packed up my bags. The boat was due at 8:30. We listened for the motor and I even took my bags down to the dock. But no boat.
Turns out, they forgot about me, and they had to run a boat out from the marina. This delay cost me a half-hour and added a burden of stress to my return journey. I don't mind travelling alone, but I don't enjoy being pressed for time. The trip home was much quicker than the drive up - I made it back to the city in under two hours. I returned Dirty Harry a half-hour late, rode home on my bicycle and arrived at my apartment by 1 p.m., feeling deeply disoriented.
And that's when I crashed. I had some crazy notion of doing my practice when I got home, but I could hardly keep my eyes open. I slept all afternoon.
The city is at it's August worst: hot and humid and noisy and stinky. I unpacked and waited until evening to do my grocery shopping and errands. I took a long bath when I got home and spent 45 minutes on the mat, doing Yin Yoga. It's nice to downshift a bit in my yoga practice after a stretch of Vinyasa-type practice.
I'm still feeling disoriented - this is normal after travelling. I miss the island and the fresh air and the silence.
Good-bye, cottage!
1 comment:
Okay, I could totally live right there in that spot. Glad you had a good trip.
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