An utter privilege this morning to walk out of the house and onto the farm, off the footpaths and bridleways for a change. After a busy few days I needed it.
I listened to the distant woodpecker as I ambled in whatever direction a break in the nettles and brambles would allow. We saw our first swallows yesterday evening - no sign of them this morning. No distinctive honk of the raven that inhabits these woods either, nor the cuckoo we've been aware of for the last week. I did startle a deer and send a muntjac careering through the undergrowth. Walking regularly helps to establish those seasonal sounds in the things to listen out for.
I should have been at a day long meeting today. It had been in the diary for ages, but about which I had heard nothing. I checked with colleagues who forwarded an email with the day's plan. I hadn't received this - how could I be left off the address list? Then I realised I had not RSVPed to the invite months ago. I spent a few minutes wrestling with whether to go anyway, or take the time to be away. FOMO kicked in, briefly, but then I reminded myself what a gift a clear day always is. I opted for the quieter path.
Therefore, I found myself walking in the woods.
I did wonder whether I might find a suitable stump that I can adopt as my outdoor writing station. That might be a cool idea for the summer.
Finding the quieter path is the ultimate aversion therapy for FOMO. I realise this applies irrespective of whether it is FOMO socially, or the FOMO which brings about repeated scrolling through social media or YouTube. Both act to disrupt and disturb.
In Avila we visited the Monasterio de la Encarnacion where St Teresa began her life as a Carmelite. She would eventually move out of here and found a new Convent across the city - one which was far more austere - and it was there that she wrote probably her most celebrated work, The Interior Castle. However, it is her original monastery that has a small courtyard garden with a circular labyrinth inspired by Teresa's work. A circular route following the path inward.
I don't find "steps" or "systems" that helpful, but walking quietly in the woods or on the lanes is the perfect tonic.
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