A Random Summer Memory... Because Why Not?

in #memories6 years ago

54320988-3d7d-4583-bed7-e7263c45c836.jpeg


This afternoon, I spent a little time sitting outside on our back patio, just watching clouds drift by. It was one of the first warm and truly "summery" days, here in the Pacific Northwest.

The moment reminded me of days spent in my childhood, at my auntie's country cottage (pictured above), which was one of the few safe refuges during an otherwise pretty turbulent part of my life.

It was one of the few places I could go to find a sort of "inner quiet."

It might sound odd to you that a 9-year old boy would have such thoughts, but I did.

Without even knowing it — because she was not actually a particularly "spiritual" person — my auntie taught me to meditate: The practice was called, quite simply, "sitting and seeing."

Much like this afternoon, it was a time to stop talking, and instead to simply BE and observe was was going on around us. A time to truly pay attention to what was in front of us: The song of a particular bird; the way the sound of birch leaves rustling in the wind was different from the sound of oak leaves; the sound of grasshoppers in the thicket; bees buzzing by and doing their thing in the wild roses.

It was peaceful, because there was nothing that "HAD to be done;" there was no homework I would be "judged" on; no expectations.

All these years later... it has been almost 50 years now... I have much gratitude for those small patches of "sanity" in my life. And much gratitude to my (now long deceased) auntie for making them possible.

How about YOU? Do you have any such strong memories of people or places from your childhood that helped shape who you are today? Leave a comment — share your own experience!


Steepshot_footer2.PNG Steepshot IPFS IOS Android Web
Sort:  

Childhood is the best part of our life. Every people have the beautiful memory, I've also when i was 9-10 years lived a wonderful village and had with my cousins , we enjoyed the big fields where were lots of kids, played all time, that time we had no tension, no burden , no worries, how sweets that day was ! I always remember those day and wish i i could go those days again. Thanks to your sweet memories.

Yes, Childhood memories can be very sweet.... and they are often the place I go when life is feeling overwhelming.

Thanks for sharing your own memories!

I lived at my grandfather's house for a while. He had been an ardent reader, actually the only person in our family who had been reading. I learnt to read through imitating him though he never asked me to read.

Interesting how often we pick up the manners and interests of people we have fond memories of. The auntie with the house above was all about "growing things," and I got my love of gardening largely from her.

The auntie with the house above was all about "growing things,

I used to believe it is because of how real they are when they do their things.

Well yes... in fact my old memories are still with me, newer ones not so much. But it was different back then, the stress was negligible and I was still in the stronger learning phase of life. But as you stated it was in the simple things that I benefited so much, just seeing something it really sunk in.

Today it is just a blip as everything moves so fast.

Yes, that's often what these memories bring me; fleeting moments of peace in a world that always seems to be moving so quickly I have no hope of keeping up with it. I find that I miss those simpler days when I had far fewer things on my plate... and what felt like a "normal" day's work was enough to support my life...

What a cool legacy! “You never really die until no one remembers you anymore” is a line I can’t remember the source of that this reminded me of.

I kinda like that saying... definitely something to it. What's also cool is that the legacy continues in the sense that the cottage is now a sort of "family summer timeshare," so I can still go back if I can make my way to Denmark.

mmmm very cool! but first! that roof is amazing!! what is that made out of? is that thatch? what a cool country cottage!

Yes, that's a thatched roof! The house was built in 1938; the roof has been completely replaced three or four times since then; they last about 20-25 years, depending on weather trends and the snow volume in winter. Even today, it's not an uncommon form of roofing for cottages in country areas of Denmark... although they are slowly in decline because the cost can be pretty prohibitive. But they are very pretty!

nice place...

Thank you! Many sweet memories there.

Get More Upvote - FREE

Steem[DOT]Link/sbd

Get 0.1 Steem free on signup !

Yeah, you can take your spam somewhere else, thank you.

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.35
TRX 0.12
JST 0.040
BTC 70753.86
ETH 3589.34
USDT 1.00
SBD 4.75