Thoughts along the path . . .

Being Away for the Summer

By the time this appears in the Ayr News I will be – where? Odd as this may sound, I don’t know. That’s because John and I are camping this summer for about 2 months in the Maritimes and Newfoundland. True to our preferred way to travel, we don’t have an itinerary, though we do have some ideas about places to visit and even a few friends along the way.

While we are traveling, our friend Steve will be staying in our house. And he is on my mind now even more than the actual trip. Why? Because he is a native of this region (Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo) and is truly excited about spending a summer in Ayr.

Admittedly, part of the appeal is living in a house rather than a condo, as he is eager to take on garden-care including weekly lawn mowing. But he is especially enthused about our proximity to trails and parks. This includes Piper’s Glen just down the street and Pinehurst within biking distance; and it also includes easy access to rail trails in Paris and Glen Morris.

He also likes the small-town feeling here. Indeed, a walk through our neighbourhood or the village usually brings a cheery hello from others. With so many dog walkers, joggers, gardeners, and porch-sitters, feeling welcome comes naturally here.

I guess I already knew this about Ayr, but seeing it through the eyes of someone else has reminded me of what a lovely place this is to live. So much so that John and I have decided to stay home next summer. Last year we camped for 3 months to Vancouver Island and back (at our usual meandering pace), and again this year we will be away. We now realize that we want to spend the summer here, when the weather is at its best, there is lots of outdoor recreation, and the locals seem to be at their happiest.

During the final week of preparing for the trip we concentrated on our yard and garden. We pruned trees and shrubs, trusting they would thrive through the summer and provide shade for other plants and creatures. We planted potatoes, looking forward to harvesting them upon our return. We planted and potted annuals, picturing them in full bloom while we are away and hopefully still upon our return. I do think that gardens, more than anything else, remind us of the seasons and the passing of time.

This quotation from Abdul-Baha describes my feeling about returning home after travels: “When a man has found the joy of life in one place, he returns to that same spot to find more joy.” Surely that describes “home.”

As I close this message, I want to wish a happy summer to all of Ayr and the readers of the Ayr News. We are fortunate to live in this little corner of the world.

==========================

Submitted to Ayr News by Jaellayna Palmer May 2018