Undaunted Joy #133

A much needed rest

( On my 50th birthday: at the tip of France, Cap de la Houge across from England. One of the prettiest places I have ever seen)

I knew I needed a vacation when I started counting everything. I counted my minutes on the treadmill, how many words I wrote, how many pages I read. I kept counting. The minutes till my sons came home from school, till dinner, till bed. It was bad.

I think part of this counting is being connected to my phone so much but here on vacation, in the middle of the French countryside, I am still connected to my phone. But out here, it is quiet and I am unrushed.

( Mont St Michel. My mind cannot grasp the glory of this place)

Normally when we are in vacation, we are in warp speed. We are trying to see all the things in a short amount of time. This leg of the journey has been slow. The cottage we are in is 30 minutes from the next city, and each of the major historical sites; Omaha Beach, Bayeux Tapestry, Mont St Michel are each a good two hours away. Our cottage is on the edge of the cliffs with no street lamps. Each day we must time our departure and return to the sun so we can make our way out and back.

( the road leading to our cottage)

In those long drives, during the days of wandering someplace new and in the evenings of sitting before the fire with a glass of wine, my mind is clearing. I feel as if I am thinking about absolutely nothing and everything at the same time. But I am no longer counting.

Each new year I think of what I want to clear out of my life, routine, closets and responsibilities to make my life more streamlined. To create space for growth. To rid myself of that which tethers me to—nothing. This time is doing just that. When I return home I will want to read and write and work again.

Today we leave the house in Normandie and make our way back to Paris for Christmas. It will be a whirlwind 4 days in the city with a family we love and doing as much as we can in a short amount of time. I didn’t realize how much I needed this time in Normandie until we were here. I think God is preparing me. For what I do not know but I am rested and ready.