TRANQUILITY

"WHEN WE ARE UNABLE TO FIND TRANQUILITY WITHIN OURSELVES, IT IS USELESS TO SEEK IT ELSEWHERE."

Francios de La Rochefoucauld

I used to think that I needed peace and quiet (mostly quiet) to be able to find tranquility. I used to live in a place where you never heard traffic whizzing by late at night or saw headlights flashing on the walls and ceiling as they went by. I used to think that peace came from somewhere outside of me and that if I was quiet enough and still enough that I would find it within me. How wrong I was!

Since moving to our new house, I have learned that a person can block outside distractions. I don't think that there are many moments in my day where I don't hear the noise of a car, a dog barking, children laughing, or other outside sounds. Those sounds used to bother me more than they do now. What I have learned recently (and since our move) is that there are just different levels of noise. In our former home we heard nothing but birds, crickets, frogs and an occasional dog barking or car. But they were still sounds, right? How does one categorize sound?

In our new home we have another sound that has since become something that I look forward to: the sound of the train. The train is not in my backyard but more like a few miles away. In our former home we could occasionally hear the distant sound of a train if the wind was blowing in our direction or the evening was extremely still. Here, at our new home, I have the luxury of hearing the sound of the train in the distance. In the evening when I sit out on the porch, it is comforting to hear the train whistle blowing. You can hear the sound of the wheels as they move up or down the tracks. There is a distinct humming that the wheels produce as they roll along the tracks. The sound of the train is comforting to me now. It is a sound in which I have found tranquility.

Did I ever think this would happen? No, absolutely not. Yet, the sound of the train now affords me a vision. When I hear the train whistle in the evening or early morning, it reminds me of the possibilities in life. I think of all the new places that the train can visit. I think of all the new people that the train can visit. These trains have become a metaphor for my new life here in a new house and in a new town. I don't have to follow the same tracks that I always have and expect the same results.

I have left some people behind that chose not to travel on this path with me. I feel like I have moved at a faster pace than them but that is neither right or wrong. We have just chosen to take a different train. I am trying to look at each new day as an adventure and as a chance to make a new and different choice. I used to hear the whistle blowing so very far away. Now, it is closer.

I am finding tranquility in places I never expected to find it and that is both eye-opening and astonishing to me at the same time. I feel blessed to be able to experience new and wonderful things along the way. Life is a journey and I am happy that I am along for the ride. And I'm happy that I have learned to slow down a bit and enjoy that ride.

PICKLES ALA PISHNY

Photo is from Julie Pishny's blog "Prairie Thistle"

Blogs are such great inspiration. You can type in anything you want and find it; food, jewelry, photography, art, poetry...you name it.

I found Julie Pishny once by searching ETSY, where she makes jewelry and has an account there. I have even purchased some jewelry from her and will probably continue to do so because I love what she makes.

This month, Julie posted a pickle recipe that I just had to try. So, last week, after picking fresh cucumbers from my garden for the first time (first time this season AND first time this year in the new house) I had the required amount (3 pounds) to make the recipe.

This recipe was so easy! And it was SO good. The hardest part was slicing the cucumbers ever-so-thin because I can't find my mandolin since the move (!) but...if you want a great bread and butter pickle recipe with little effort that keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, give this one a try. You won't be sorry that you did. The hardest part will be the 2 hours you have to wait for the "cukes" to sit in an icy-cold brine of canning salt, water and ice cubes. But, while you're waiting for the clock, you can go out and water the garden and maybe pick more cucumbers.

Give this recipe a try. I think that you will be glad that you did. And Julie: thanks for posting it. Now...where's my mandolin???

LIFE IN THE "FAST" LANE

"THE RICHNESS I ACHIEVE COMES FROM NATURE, THE SOURCE OF MY INSPIRATION."

----Claude Monet

Yesterday, I went for a walk around the pond. It's incredible what you can see if you take the time to look around; the dragonflies circling the water and landing on a cattail; a butterfly gently resting on a blade of grass. In addition to the small things that I noticed, I also noticed the ducks and the geese.

The ducks and the geese are a constant pleasure to many young (and old) people who walk in the park. They do make a mess on the sidewalks occasionally when flocking toward people who come with bags of scraps to feed them. I suppose there should be a sign for them which reads: "keep on the grass" but they don't know the difference.

Last week a meeting was held to determine what to "do" about the ducks and the geese. I hear that it was decided in a vote 3-5 to relocate them all except the Canadian Geese (which should theoretically be back in Canada at this time of the year).

I didn't attend the meeting but I wish that I had. I didn't know anything about it until it was over and decided. I would like to know where they plan to relocate them and what exactly was the problem in the first place? Too many? Too messy? Too much time spent cleaning up after them (pond water and sidewalks)? With all the budget cuts that pervade our society now, who or what will be next?

It makes me wonder about people and what they value. And I hope that wherever the ducks and geese find a new home (here's hoping that they really do get relocated and not destroyed!) they will be happy. I will miss the sounds and the sights of what they contributed to the ecosystem of the pond. Will I begin to notice smaller things starting to deteriorate too? I hope not.

P.S.---I just found this article on Channel 13 News.