HOME - Quiet Times

by Danielle French, South Pond Farms www.southpondfarms.ca

I’ve had the luxury of getting away for a few days venturing to the Bavarian Alps to visit my godmother, Renate and her husband Eberhard. The weather was absolutely perfect - sunny and about 10 degrees every day, the mountain air fresh and easy to sleep in. When she and I get together we talk about what we are cooking, stories from the past and staying healthy. She is in her 80’s, fit and filled with energy.

Winter is a quiet time and an easier time for me to get away. My personal theme of the month has been to make way for creative thoughts by clearing space. January is one of my favourite months; I feel able to take the time to gather my energy to take on the busyness of the summer. It is peaceful. It is a time to clear both my head and physical things crowding my thoughts to make way for new ideas to flourish. Before I left, I began clearing closets and cupboards, giving the girls what they wanted and giving away the rest. I look at it like cooking and setting a “mis en plâce”. In order to think clearly about a new idea I need to make space for it to come together.

Being with Renate and her husband Eberhard is always an inspiration for me. I return home with new recipes both for healthy cooking and living. Renate has a full and interesting life and whenever we visit,I realize how much one can still grow and learn no matter what age.

When she was 70, after living alone for many years, she fell in love with Eberhard and moved from her home into his in another town. She shed many of her belongings, furnishings, photographs, books and other personal things to start a fresh life. I was thinking about how difficult it is for me to let things go as I am cleaning closets but she let a life time of belongings go, a house and her way of life in her community for another. I am inspired about my own desire to live with fewer things, more simply, and less cluttered by my belongings.

Bavarian Alps

At the time, I remember feeling a tug of sadness when I visited and my favourite milk cup or cereal bowl I used when I was a kid was no longer there. When I whined a little bit about these losses, she said it was easy to let go. She felt liberated and not burdened by material things.

I’m grateful to be home now. The fires need tending, there are chores and there are puppies to train. But I love where I live, this farm and yes - the house even with all the work that comes with keeping it warm in winter. I’ve taken a bit of my godmother’s energy with me to help letting go and we will see where it leads. Enjoy your January whatever is on your list; getting away for a holiday or cleaning a cupboard or two.

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Photo Credit - John and Samatha Butler