From The Innkeepers

May 2020

 All Corona, All the time-Life in the Time of Lockdown

When you are accustomed to welcoming people into your home on a daily basis, the absence of your presence is a stark reality.  Our last retreat group left here on March 15, so it has been six weeks now.  As we turn the calendar over to May it seems futile to hope for a return of “business as usual” anytime soon. 

Sharon, Pat, and I were talking the other night, when Sharon posed a very interesting question:

“ What has the corona virus shutdown taught you about yourself?”  I have been thinking about that and want to share some of my conclusions with you.

After pondering her question for a few days I have come to the conclusion that mainly  we are learning the lessons that we and the natural world that surrounds us are enough.  To wake up in the morning, and have the opportunity to pay more attention to and actually rejoice in the song of the birds and the light of a new day is enough.   To walk around the labyrinth meditation garden, the woodland trails, and the meadow is exhilarating enough.  To be excited by the sky, looking for potential rainbows after a sun imbued rainfall, or marveling at a salmon colored evening sky, that has become enough.  To weed the front gardens and be thrilled by the resurgence of the spring bulbs, and be happy to see the spring colors of the tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths that is more than enough.   Life in the time of lockdown has also taught us to shift our focus from dwelling on “what isn’t” to appreciating the abundance of “what is”.  We are learning the lessons and the blessings of a more simple life, where the gift of time begets this endless stream of gratitude.    

Part of that stream of gratitude is to be aware of you, our retreat guests, particularly when the dates in the calendar come up when under normal circumstances you would have been here with us at the Inn.  At such times we are not only grateful for you, but pray that you and those you love remain safe and stay healthy and manage to avoid contracting the virus.   

There is a nature photographer named Dewitt Jones whose work Pat admires and follows on line.  In closing, I would like to share with you the tag line for his website.

                                     “Celebrate what’s right with the world.” 

May it be so for you.

Marcia, Pat and Sharon