Such beautiful words, Sabrina! And equally beautiful memories. Although we didn't touch on it at the time, reading this and thinking back on our trip, writing (especially when combined with travel) definitely makes me feel free in an exhilerated way. I shall treasure this post and the memories it invokes! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
You are so kind, thank you! And I agree with you: I felt really untethered (in a good way!) for those days we travelled together. No responsibilities to be places and do things except for those we decided together, with all had the same priorities. And the exhilaration, absolutely! I felt so much of that! Hope you are able to carry some of that feeling forward with you this week ❤️❤️❤️
That is an interesting question. Certainly, my exhilaration on heading off to college qualifies. After flying across the country, I spent a night in a hotel room in a unfamiliar city before arriving at the university the next day. My sense of freedom was mixed with uncertainty—they often go together. Another candidate for me is the feeling that I felt at age 22, after being paid for being a professional geologist for the first time and having two days of leave at my disposal. I wandered the streets of Ketchikan with light feet, and bought a book of poetry in a bookshop that I still treasure.
Those are certainly two really good memories of the feeling of free-ness. I agree that the uncertainty seems to be part of the same circumstance, just in a positive way. And I love the idea of buying a book of poetry that you still treasure: I can imagine just remembering the book brings back that feeling of free you had at the time. Thanks so much for sharing those moments!
I think every time I launch myself into the sea is when I'm at my most free. That sense of pure weightlessness, of giving up on gravity and tethers and being so in the moment - the feel of the water, the smell of salt, the clarity of the ocean, the sounds of the language of the sea. It's freeing because the sea doesn't know me and I will never claim to know it, even though I swim almost all year or at the very least, walk beside it or wade through it.
I'm not surprised to hear the sea is your place of feeling free, Prue. That is a wonderful description of all of it.
I have had moments of that feeling too, now I recall, when I was in Greece when I was 20. The sea was warm enough and salty enough to float without using any energy, just floating calmly—forever, it felt like. That felt pretty darn free, especially being 20, far from home and the next year's responsibilities.
A lovely post! You captured our time together in a beautiful way. I felt as if I was reliving it. Great photographs too. I always enjoy and marvel over the extra jolt of observation with gain knowing we have to write something and we're keen to see and experience new things.
It was an immense pleasure being with you both. Our strides met so easily and effortlessly.
As to the question of feeling free, the most remarkable memory is lying in a meadow under Mts. Ritter and Banner and seeing how simultaneously small and big I was in the world. I felt the world was so huge and occupied just one infinitesmal piece of it but in that piece I could do anything.
On our writing journey, I felt free of all those domestic things and had only time to write, eat, drink verdejo, walk, and be with such wonderful people.
Ah, thank you! It WAS such a joy to spend a new way of being with you after these many years of knowing each other. I was richly rewarded in so many ways. Thanks for sharing that moment under the grand granite peaks in our beloved Sierra Nevada Mountains. Always a place that puts our short and tiny lives in the universe's perspective!
What a fun and so thought provoking piece Sabrina, on many levels!! I loved it. The colors, the amazing scenery, the opportunities for so much good "stuff" of all sorts - fabulous! And what a terrific memory....I absolutely love that too!
And yes, in what ways we HAVE felt "free"? SO much to think and talk about there! Thank you!!
Thanks Martha, I'm glad you were intrigued just as we were with that question! So many ways to think about it and consider...and what does feeling free even mean? At any rate, having time to write and eat and stroll are pretty close to feeling free to me! 😉
Such beautiful words, Sabrina! And equally beautiful memories. Although we didn't touch on it at the time, reading this and thinking back on our trip, writing (especially when combined with travel) definitely makes me feel free in an exhilerated way. I shall treasure this post and the memories it invokes! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
You are so kind, thank you! And I agree with you: I felt really untethered (in a good way!) for those days we travelled together. No responsibilities to be places and do things except for those we decided together, with all had the same priorities. And the exhilaration, absolutely! I felt so much of that! Hope you are able to carry some of that feeling forward with you this week ❤️❤️❤️
I did, I am! I hope you have been able to carry the feeling forward too, though you did have a longer journey home than me or Andrea!
That is an interesting question. Certainly, my exhilaration on heading off to college qualifies. After flying across the country, I spent a night in a hotel room in a unfamiliar city before arriving at the university the next day. My sense of freedom was mixed with uncertainty—they often go together. Another candidate for me is the feeling that I felt at age 22, after being paid for being a professional geologist for the first time and having two days of leave at my disposal. I wandered the streets of Ketchikan with light feet, and bought a book of poetry in a bookshop that I still treasure.
Those are certainly two really good memories of the feeling of free-ness. I agree that the uncertainty seems to be part of the same circumstance, just in a positive way. And I love the idea of buying a book of poetry that you still treasure: I can imagine just remembering the book brings back that feeling of free you had at the time. Thanks so much for sharing those moments!
Wonderful post on writing, freedom and growing.
I think every time I launch myself into the sea is when I'm at my most free. That sense of pure weightlessness, of giving up on gravity and tethers and being so in the moment - the feel of the water, the smell of salt, the clarity of the ocean, the sounds of the language of the sea. It's freeing because the sea doesn't know me and I will never claim to know it, even though I swim almost all year or at the very least, walk beside it or wade through it.
Looking forward to your next post, Sabrina.
I'm not surprised to hear the sea is your place of feeling free, Prue. That is a wonderful description of all of it.
I have had moments of that feeling too, now I recall, when I was in Greece when I was 20. The sea was warm enough and salty enough to float without using any energy, just floating calmly—forever, it felt like. That felt pretty darn free, especially being 20, far from home and the next year's responsibilities.
Thanks for triggering that memory!
A lovely post! You captured our time together in a beautiful way. I felt as if I was reliving it. Great photographs too. I always enjoy and marvel over the extra jolt of observation with gain knowing we have to write something and we're keen to see and experience new things.
It was an immense pleasure being with you both. Our strides met so easily and effortlessly.
As to the question of feeling free, the most remarkable memory is lying in a meadow under Mts. Ritter and Banner and seeing how simultaneously small and big I was in the world. I felt the world was so huge and occupied just one infinitesmal piece of it but in that piece I could do anything.
On our writing journey, I felt free of all those domestic things and had only time to write, eat, drink verdejo, walk, and be with such wonderful people.
Ah, thank you! It WAS such a joy to spend a new way of being with you after these many years of knowing each other. I was richly rewarded in so many ways. Thanks for sharing that moment under the grand granite peaks in our beloved Sierra Nevada Mountains. Always a place that puts our short and tiny lives in the universe's perspective!
What a fun and so thought provoking piece Sabrina, on many levels!! I loved it. The colors, the amazing scenery, the opportunities for so much good "stuff" of all sorts - fabulous! And what a terrific memory....I absolutely love that too!
And yes, in what ways we HAVE felt "free"? SO much to think and talk about there! Thank you!!
Thanks Martha, I'm glad you were intrigued just as we were with that question! So many ways to think about it and consider...and what does feeling free even mean? At any rate, having time to write and eat and stroll are pretty close to feeling free to me! 😉