I've been away in the country, secluded, surrounded by woods and sky. A time to go inside, figure things out. Sometimes it's easier to do that far from home and everything familiar. I've stayed in a castle. These are venerable old buildings, filled with stories. The trails meander through woods where owls live. Acres and acres of land, places to explore. Walking becomes a meditation. Thoughts and feelings, long buried, come up and out--inspiration, to use another word.
I've encountered people seeking their own inspiration. The woman who loves fishing boats, my next door neighbor who sings at night, his angel voice lulling me to sleep, the young artist who made me a bracelet and who has pink dreams, the teacher from the western hills. We gathered twice, shared our favorite music. Thank you to the pink dreams artist for making that happen. So many more to thank, especially the people who run this magical castle. They give us what they need, things we hadn't thought of ourselves.
I've spent this time offline, not posting notes, not checking facebook. I've missed many people, but sometimes it's good to forget the outside world and travel inward, connect with my own heart, remember good things I've forgotten along the way.