strange + sweet

On Sunday I went away on a lil trip to Cedars of Peace for two days of quiet + work (as in work with a deadline, as in taxes). I met with the tree house teachers Sunday morning then with laptop, paperwork, food, a change of clothes, and incense in hand the boxster and I set off down the Bluegrass Parkway.

I made a couple calls then silenced my phone, turned my BF Bon Jovi off, rolled my window down and enjoyed the beautiful day, the beautiful drive.

I arrived at my cabin "Wonder" about 75 minutes later. The door was unlocked and a sweet note awaited me, "Sharon, welcome back to Cedars. May you experience the energy of spring in the woods."

I immediately felt at home, at peace.

I unpacked the food I'd brought and placed my laptop and paperwork on the desk. I settled into the chair, not just any chair, but a recliner. While I refuse to have one at home, this was pretty sweet if I had to say so myself. Especially so when the recliner is in front of the window, which looks out into those woods above.

I gave myself a good ten to fifteen minutes of rest then it was time to dive into work mode. Even if the government was shutting down I was sure I'd still be responsible for filing taxes on time. Pffttt, pfffttt, pfffttt.

I quickly discovered that a very important piece of the puzzle was missing. A piece that would make it impossible for me to complete the tax task at hand. Hmmmm, sitting in the cabin called "Wonder", I wondered...what shall I do.

Work away was the answer, then take a break and come back to dilemma at hand. So I sat in the lovely cabin with the live symphony of the woods, set a first goal, and a reward. Reward would be a walk up the road to the lake (or it is a pond?) on this truly amazing spring day. Amazing how quickly you can get things done this way. Note to self....

I'm not sure if you recall how utterly perfect Sunday was. It was sunny, and warm, and spring. Really, really spring. I couldn't imagine any better place I'd rather be. Or could I, I wondered (again)? This was feeling a little odd, strange, and new.

Turns out I could think of an even better place. It was about 75 minutes away, at an obnoxiously loud four way stop. In Nicholasville, KY of all places. A Big Blue House with paint chipping, a gorgeous wrap around porch, a new roof, with weeds and tulips growing in the front yard. Inside was the most gentle and neurotic dog named Bella, a strikingly wild and crazy lickaholic dog named Remy, and a super hubs of nearly ten years (wow!) named Andy.

That's it. I would get all the work done I possibly could without the important piece of the puzzle. I would enjoy all the sweetness of this place, then when I was done, I would pack up, drive back down the BG Parkway, creep into the house, and surprise the gang.

Cedars of Peace provided me with the most ideal of working conditions when doing something so not fun. I spent nine hours there....got all the work done I could, walked to the lake, prepared a delicious lunch, did a walking meditation at the labyrinth, and prayed in the tiny chapel in the woods. I sat outside and enjoyed watching squirrels play and birds swooping through the forest.

Then with a smile on my face I packed back up at the edge of dark, rolled the windows down, and jammed all the way back to the Big Blue House.