Easily Tangled
In search of golden moments
On our recent travels in the Scottish highlands I was struck by ‘golden moments’. For me, these are moments that you want to capture with your eyes and create space for them in your mind where they may linger. I think Autumn has a special way of delivering golden moments and it makes it an intoxicating season to inhabit.
The colours of autumn are more than capable of telling their own story and teaching us about the power of a well chosen colour palette. The light in autumn changes almost daily as days shorten and our evenings are, once again, enveloped in darkness. It is the shortening of the days that reminds us how precious light is in our world almost as if nature is teaching us, yet another, important lesson.
It is against this beautiful backdrop that I was blessed to encounter a whole run of golden moments in the Highlands. Moments where time stood still and the world forgot to turn. My feet were rooted deep within the ground and I felt breath returning. I can’t explain it any other way. It would be understandable to explain the whole run of golden moments on being in the Scottish Highlands as autumn arrived and there is some truth in that. However, I live on a beautiful Scottish island and it is rare that I encounter a run of golden moments.
It is not to do with place but it has a lot to do with time. For the month of September I stepped off my daily life and lived and worked from our van while travelling. The key term there is ‘daily life.’ I can’t speak to anyone else’s daily life but mine is easily tangled. My late Grandmother used to call it doing her errands but my list of errands can sometimes become a bit overwhelming and all tangled up. At these times it is difficult to stand still long enough for my feet to be rooted deep within the earth and that is what my trip has taught me. I have been a mother forever. I have run my own creative business forever and I feel blessed to have both elements in my life but, somewhere along the way, I have lost sight of the impotance of just being in the moment and allowing that moment to extend beautifully before me and around me. Errands or chores can sometimes be put on hold, just long enough to enable my mind to take in such golden moments.
Regular readers know I am one for mantras that help me stayed grounded. I have a question for myself now which is ‘does it really matter?’ Does it matter if I don’t get to the end of my ‘to do list’ that day? Does it matter if I leave the washing for the next day? Sometimes the anwer to the question is ‘no’ because it doesn’t matter. Sometimes the answer is ‘yes’ because it does matter. My job is to work out which is which by spending some days constantly asking the question and being mindful of the balance of answers between ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ So that is where you find me now in monitoring mode and already I can tell you that the ‘no’ answer is winning through quite well. I find that unsurprising but I also find that I have reminded myself how to extend time. It shouldn’t take a month away to figure this out but I think my daily life just takes over and I am quickly back to chasing time. I don’t want to chase time again because it can’t be caught.
In a week where I officially opened by Gathering Workshop I am leaning into my golden moments and encouraging interested folk to do the same. I have tried to create a physical space that allows for time to be stretched or even stand still as we deepen our connection with the earth beneath our feet. I will, forever, be indebted to my time away in the van for illuminating a pathway that I feel happier to wander along, often by myself, for myself. It is time to start seeking out more and more golden moments and even stringing some together. Imagine a world strung together with golden moments? Now when I close my eyes that is all I can see. That will do for me, until next time, Fiona x
Thank you so much to the folk that have supported my work in recent weeks by buying me coffee. I am a recent convert to taking myself out on an artist date and so I have used those funds to literally buy myself coffee. What a treat, thank you so much. xx
Perhaps we elders have learned to defferentiate between mattering or not after decades of practice. At last, we whittle down our chores and priorities until we live minimally despite the physical clutter of crafts and memorabilia. I too have carved a space for taking a break in the daily business and sit calmly in my garden swing and watch Nature's population doing their chores and errands. The other day, I took advantage of a break between storms to sit in the sun and knit. I heard the flutter of wings and looked up from my meditative craft and saw a finch perched upon a bush less than a meter away from me. It peered at me as I sat absolutely still. Then it started nibbling at seed heads on the bush, glancing at me between bites. Another finch joined it on a branch nearby. For at least a minute or two, they cleaned the seeds from several flowers before flying away. It was Nature telling me I've learned to Be in the moment with Her family.
Hello Fiona . I truly understand the concept of golden moments - and paying attention to them . In Canada we are in the midst of quickly passing colour show of leaves - soon to be swept away by wind and rain . The light in the dusk and Dawn skies has been magnificent / if I pay attention . It’s easy to go about ones tasks and bypass these experiences but if we are truly tuned in it’s beauty is transformational . House work , daily tasks are often just a distraction from what matters it seems . I do love how you observe and experience your world !