The thing about holidays is that they inevitably end. If they didn’t they would be regular life and then they wouldn’t be special, they would be the norm. Holidays take me out of routine, quite by force as there is nothing in a holiday place that is the same as at home – even if the pleasurable things in my routine are taken with me, like my guitar and my yoga mat – so I cannot fall into the trap of just doing this little job because it’s here … tidying this room because it’s messy … ironing my work clothes ahead … That’s what makes holidays so refreshing: the sudden and total LACK of routine, and the new experiences that fill the vacuum thus created.
I thoroughly enjoyed my week at the cat-house. I felt myself unwind as I fell into holiday-mode (it always takes me a few days to unwind, after the manic busyness of work). I melted into my surroundings as the cats melted into me, explored the local area, patted the cats, soaking up their invisible healing feline energy … and felt the internal stillness that comes with no expectations and no responsibilities (beyond feeding the felines), where I can wake up when I choose, spend my day how I choose, and go to bed when I choose.
It’s a soul-reset of the greatest magnitude: it ricochets through every layer of me to my very core. The strange tension between the conflicting thoughts of I must make the most of Every Moment, for if I don’t I’m wasting opportunities and I am present, right now, and whatever I do is perfect for this moment diminishes as the week progresses and the peace of feeling more in alignment grows.
After such a wonderful break it was difficult to leave: my days in this new place created their own routines, which quickly became my temporary-norm. I knew I would enjoy being back home once I got there, and I knew holidays can’t last forever …
I’m so very grateful to have had the opportunity of this wonderful house-cat-sit: my heart is full to overflowing with peace and love.
Bliss!
I wonder if they’ll need a sitter again? Hmmm …. I’ll volunteer for that!
Annabel Harz: Author and Artist 