The Fresh

Yesterday was a “soft day”, as the Irish would say. Here in the Finger Lakes of New York we have had a summer of intense heat (90s for days at a time is record-making for us.)  So yesterday was notable in the cool, fresh, quiet mood it brought. I needed that kind of day to focus on writing, and cleaning and sorting things out.  Not all days can be sunshine. Yesterday reminded me that a gloomy day can actually be a blessing.

In spite of still practicing a pretty much stay at home lifestyle in these Covid times, I seem to have become busy again. I promised myself to learn to slow down and be more in the moment, I promised myself to be more mindful, and I promised to savor the moment as a result of the forced shut-down we all faced. Yet, I find myself creeping back into busy-ness. Yesterday slowed me down in a positive way.

Working with, or perhaps against that, I also find myself needing more quiet time to deal with the chaos of the news, of what is happening to citizens here and to people everywhere, of the immense change we are experiencing. Which brings me to another favorite Irish phrase “get a wee bit of the fresh”. I first was drawn to this phrase when I overheard two Irish gentlemen on an early morning shuttle bus from Dublin airport to the train station. There were both headed west, as was I. The one kept talking about how he could not wait to “walk in the fresh”, to be back home in the hills of Kerry. Later, on the train, a woman shared with me how tired she had been of the weather in California when visiting a cousin. “Relentless” she called the sun. I chuckled to myself, thinking of how I have called the rain relentless but never the sun.

We all need “soft days in the fresh” to take stock, ground ourselves, and connect with Nature. Sometimes Nature and the Universe hand such a day to us on a platter. Other times, we need to seek out that place. Perhaps, a walk into a woods, perhaps an old-fashioned lemonade under a shade tree, or dipping one’s toes in the water.

There are many Celtic blessings. Let us today consider those that give us respite, that praise the gentleness of the rain, and the quiet peace of a dim-lit sky.

I invite you to think about what soothes you and quiets you and gives you a “soft day”.