On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
In late April of last year, I was scheduled for a week-long meditation retreat. It had been several years since I’d done a residential retreat, and I was looking forward to it. Two days before I was to leave, I sprained my ankle and fell. After disinfecting all my scrapes and bruises and wrapping and icing my ankle, I contemplated my alternatives. I tried stepping on the injured foot. I could weight bear just a bit. I got one of my ski poles out of the closet and tried to walk. It was slow, but I could do it. I decided, that’s it – I’m going.
The retreat place on Samish Island wasn’t too far from my apartment, and by some miracle, driving didn’t hurt my ankle. As soon as I arrived, I turned off my cell phone and, with some help, managed to get all my things into my cabin. Then I assessed the layout of every place I’d need to access. The dining hall was close to the cabin – the meditation hall, not so much. It was at least a ten-minute walk from my cabin, and I knew I’d have to go back and forth several times a day. The campground used for the retreat had electric scooters available for people with mobility issues, but being stubborn, I decided not to use one. After all, the walk back and forth from the meditation hall would be my only exercise for a week.
At some point during this whole process, I suddenly remembered that I had been promising myself that I would quit rushing around so much. “Just slow down,” I’d been telling myself, unsuccessfully, for months. I looked down at my ace-bandaged ankle and said, “Well, I guess I have managed to slow myself down. Now I just have to make this part of my practice.”
During that time, I discovered how much you can notice when you’re moving like a snail. By the end of the week, I had the path to the meditation hall memorized – every crack in the sidewalk, every weed and wildflower. It was not the retreat I’d imagined, but it was possibly one of the most valuable.
Just two notes on the haiku: first of all, in the poem about the collared doves, you don’t see the doves because I never saw them, but they were calling all day long. Secondly, you will notice that the last haiku is only one line instead of three. This form is called a monoku and is becoming increasingly popular in the North American haiku community.
blue on blue—
everything
from a distance
keeping silence
no one to talk to
but the sun
my path—
every daisy
every broken branch
noon break—
the mountains behind the trees
behind the cabins
nature’s slow grasp—
a tree embraces
a power pole
all day calling
across the lake—
collared doves
my intentions—
a wish and a spin
of the prayer wheel
each morning more clear
sunshine gold
in the water
sunset on the lake
the mind
at rest
meditation hall the long slow journey
eclare
Beautiful photos and poetry. Thank you.
stinger
Lovely. I, too slowed down, just reading and looking. Thank you.
SealDeal
I needed this so much this morning. Thank you.
Betty
So calming. Really, really needed this respite.
JeanneT
I didn’t know I wanted to read haikus this morning. Thank you!
Albatrossity
Retirement and aging have made me slow down. I didn’t realize how much I needed that.
As another poet said “When I was faster I was always behind”.
Thanks for this post.
Ronno2018
Great post. Thanks 👍 🙏
WaterGirl
Thank you, Munira. I always save these for Fridays, the perfect way to mark the end of the week.
eclare
@Albatrossity:
Great quote, I’ll have to remember that. I always pulled for the tortoise 🐢
eclare
@WaterGirl:
Steeplejack would have loved this post. He had an appreciation of Japanese culture from going to high school in Okinawa.
pieceofpeace
Lovely photos and with haiku, your pictures have a calming contemplative feeling. Thank you!
Denali5
Thank you so much for the beautiful photos and haiku.(s). I certainly needed this.
Albatrossity
@eclare: Here’s a brief musical interlude, featuring the song from which that quote comes from.
eclare
@Albatrossity:
Thank you! Love Neil. Live At Massey Hall is brilliant.
munira
Thank you everyone. Yes slowing down is quite a practice and so necessary at least for me in these crazy times we live in.
munira
And by the way, we all have Watergirl to thank for getting this post up. I tried several times and couldn’t get it to post – apparently, some of my files were too big. So I emailed all the parts to her and she managed to get it posted. Once again, Watergirl rules.
KRK
What a lovely post. Thank you for the beautiful photos and haiku. When you mentioned Samish Island and a dining hall I immediately pictured you having to navigate the gorgeous but decidedly uneven campus of Camp Kirby on a bad ankle. Glad that wasn’t the case.
munira
@KRK: That would have been a bit much. Thanks
wonkie
So you are here in the Upper Left? I live on an island in the South Sound. The reminder to sloooowwww dowwwnn and sniff the roses is solidly good advice. Temporary detox from the madness by focusing on what is close, real, near, and dear. Thank you,
munira
Thank you – yes, I live in Bellingham. A good place to be right now with all the madness – lots of resistance going on.
Jill
A serene and welcome respite from the news, the egg prices, the stock market and those damn musktrucks.
Jill
Beautiful and serene addition to the morning. Thank you—kept me from reading the news for a few blessed minutes
Dan B
@munira: My partner has been to Bellingham a couple days a week to ready his sister’s house for sale. She passed away a week ago. Her place is on a little road just off the Mount Baker highway. She had five horses and a Pixie Bob cat who’s hiding under the bed. A woman who bred the horses wants them but getting them into Alberta will be interesting.
Yutsano
@Dan B:
I will tell you right now: five horse trailers exist. Whether you can find one to use is another story. Plus you’ll need a truck to haul any sort of trailer like that. I bet the horse owner in Alberta could get some friends to help in the moving of the horses. Hopefully the estate has funds to help facilitate the move.
Dan B
@Yutsano: The legal issues are the likely snag.
Swampwoman
Munira, your haiku and photos are always an inspiration.
munira
Thanks again, everyone, for your kind comments.