While in the midst of routine and work, my mind comes back to the country of the hills; places where the mind can breath again. The wonders are many here, ancient and recent, a fullness of time. In the physical exertions of climbing hills, of threading a way through a choked valley of stones, the sense of being alive and one with the world is worth the pain and struggle. Along the way, climbing up and away from the easy path of the trail, new scenes of light are revealed in the heights or in places I've never been. Here, the cliffs frame the glaciers or silvery braids break the monotony of the shadowed cliffs. Each moment is filled with a constant stream of impressions. But what I like the most is the silence in a far flung valley, like a vacuum of strange awareness that cuts a pathway into the mind. Sometimes, after a long walk, I will find a hill overlooking a U-shaped entrance way, and lie down and sleep. During the passing hours the reveries of forgotten memories come back in new form. They play along the edges of sleep, blend in patterns that life could not complete, and echoe outwards into the emptiness. I suppose the solitude provides a catalyst for inner reflection, creates a condition for a time of receptiveness to things that have voices just below the surface of thought. Too much stimulation in the cities, among other people, drowns these delicate growths of awareness. So, I come again and again to regain this state, never knowing how long it will last, but savoring the moments glow when completeness is attained.
"But what I like the most is the silence in a far flung valley, like a vacuum of strange awareness that cuts a pathway into the mind."
ReplyDeleteI love this - I have this same sensation standing at the edge of water. The focus of day to day life falls away, awareness expands and, as you say, the mind can breathe.
Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated by your photographs.