Finding your sanctuary
As most of you would know, I absolutely love my morning walks, not only for the well-being of moving my body, but also the incredible way it transcends me into another realm.
Normally I would walk along our road over to the woolshed, through a gate and up a big hill behind our home. But lately I have had to take another route as the ewes are lambing in that paddock and the dogs would disturb them.
I have a rock on top of the hill that I love to sit on and take the world in. When I sit there, I breathe big deep breaths, my shoulders relax and I gain perspective on my thoughts…..sometimes I cry, sometimes I laugh but mostly I just sit.
I have been missing this route and sitting on the rock, taking in the view. (Maybe it’s the fact that I feel so small up on such a huge hill!) But this is the place, my sanctuary, that I write my thoughts for the day and my new artwork ideas come into play. I feel closer to the heavens, the clouds and all those special people above.
I have been taking another route up a smaller hill and as blest as I am to have access to wide spaces it isn’t ‘cutting the mustard’! I am missing my rock!
This is my sanctuary; my haven and I have now realized how much I need it. And how important it is to us all to have a space that you can sit, have time to yourself and to gain a sense of protection from your worries. It is a place to breathe out, gain perspective and get out of your head for a while. It could be the garden, a bath, a rock in a paddock, a park bench, an empty church, sitting in the sun….these spaces hold the pleasure of reconnecting with oneself.
On my morning walks I always go past the big dam in our front paddock. It’s my birthday soon and I have requested a ‘rustic bench’ on the side of the dam, so I can just sit and be. This will be my sanctuary bench! Extra special being made by my beautiful family!
At the beginning of this year, I wrote a Love Letter about Living. I wrote this piece after I read a plaque on a seat bench in memory of a loved one that cherished this certain spot. Again, this was their sanctuary space. We often see these plaques placed on benches and rocks, mostly overlooking a scene where that special beloved person sat and contemplated life and it’s going-ons. I feel that we all do this and probably don’t even realize we are doing it. Or maybe we have forgotten to just sit and take some time to breathe it all in or maybe this scares us, so we prefer not to let our minds wonder. When we do just ‘be’, there is the potential to ‘go there’ and when this is helpful, it can lead to healing. We do need to think and talk about our worries and things that have upset us. It helps us to process what has happened and gives ‘air’ to the situations.
At the moment, more than ever we need to find a space that we call our sanctuary. A place of refuge or safety.
We need to rest our minds in this space, we need to let it out, we need to BE however you need to BE! We need this space to gain perspective, to ‘get out of our heads’ for a while, to feel at peace.
I am hoping that you can find this space to let the light in and restore your energy levels and lighten your load.
Thinking of all doing it tough at the moment and hoping there is someone holding your hand.
All my love and thoughts your way,
Love Steph xxoo