A Time of Solace, A Comfort for Every Sorrow, A Remedy

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be a comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."

— Anne Frank (The Diary of a Young Girl)

Monday, welcome, grab a cup of joe, and join me as I make my morning word soup. I would guess we got about 15 inches of snow on top of our mountain.  The day prior, we were outside enjoying the sun, the fresh air, and then a snowstorm hit yesterday and never did stop until we were asleep. Our canvas has changed from greens and browns to pure white; God is a pretty good artist.

We took some time to play some games yesterday, the five of us, sitting at our table, dice, cards, board games, it was fun, family time. We cooked some steaks on the grill, my Queen borrowed a recipe from my ex-wife and made some excellent green beans, crispy sweet potatoes finished off the excellent meal.

I am thinking of all those folks alone during this time. I am thinking of all those in self-isolation with people they do not love or care for. I am with the love of my life and three kids that bring light and happiness to us daily. We also have a cat, Jolene, a newer addition to our family, but a great addition. 

I think they will begin the discussion as to how to reopen our society. I think Texas will be first. It seems the worst is over, time to get back to work. I think this will be a state by state decision; I look for the red states to open sooner than the blue states, history will tell of the success or failure of those decisions. I'm in a purple state that leans left; we're looking at May 1st as a tentative reopening date.

I bought a keyboard yesterday, a nice one a Yamaha, I had one as a kid, I think I lost it in one of my moves, but it will be nice to have some ivory, well plastic ivory to play. The kids have an interest in learning; I can teach a little, we might have a band when this is all over. I've been strumming my guitar since this started, it's incredible what one can learn from YouTube.

I just got a message from a friend; he said: "Yo, slow yourself as often as you can this week. Be aware of your inner voice and the wisdom deep within you. Bundle up and go on a solo walk with no phone or music or find a quiet place in the house for an hour or so and simply listen to Anson, he has something he wants to tell you." I think I might have the best friends on the planet, I mean, read that, how amazing is that message? Thank you, Joshua, I'll heed your advice, good stuff on a Monday morning.

The sun is now shining through the clouds; it's beautiful. I'll include a photo with this work so you can see the beauty I see this very moment. I am alone now; my Queen is fast asleep, the kids are as well; it is just me, this computer, a fireplace, a cup of coffee, and a fantastic sunrise. I am blessed beyond measure.

If you think about it, we are all blessed, some more than others, but the fact that you woke up today, healthy, is a blessing. You have shelter, you have food, you are pausing life this moment, a forced pause, but is this the worst thing in the world? I think not; this is a needed reset fashioned by something greater than ourselves to remind us to slow the hell down. We were all moving way too fast before this reset; there are lessons and gifts to be found during this time of solace.

In the future, I will refer to this time as the time of solace. The definition of solace is "comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness." I am finding comfort and consolation, although I would not deem this a time of distress or sadness, but a time of awakening. You can choose how to view this time; you can be angry, upset, point fingers, or you can own this time as a time of reflection and personal growth. It is on you how you receive this gift.

Well, that is it, I am out of words for this soup. I hope you find comfort in these words; I hope that you are healthy, can still smile through the pain and suffering present in this world. People will die, most will live, this is wake up call to humanity. A reminder that we are not in control, we never were, and that message is not a bad message to receive.

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be a comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."

— Anne Frank (The Diary of a Young Girl)