However, the muse resumes, prompted by the editor, who appears to enjoy the ramblings, offers occasional suggestions and generally plays the roles of "reader", "editor" and friend, along with "retired radical", "gardener", "bon viveur" and others better known to him"self" ...
The house is finding its own role, apart from shelter for the writer, as mini-retreat for guests in the gift economy ... and in this version of that concept, where each of us, taking a human incarnation, arrives with a gift, or maybe gifts, for the world(s) ... our choice is: to notice the gift and offer it; to notice it, commoditise it and sell it; or ignore it and pursue inauthentic paths prescribed by parents and other societal influences ... option two, a controversial topic in the so-called spiritual sphere, has the obvious disadvantage of changing the nature of the gift, since, by definition, a gift is no longer a gift if sold and not given ... and having spent a lot of energy examining the nature of money and its toxic potential, radical action is required to subvert its current absurdity, where ones and zeros on computers represent "money", any relation to an equitable exchange of value (my ten cabbages for your sack of spuds) has disappeared and the whole illusion is held in place by a hypnotised populace and armed police and other agents of the entities running the show .... whoever "they" may be ... possibly just aspects of "us" exaggerated? Or visitors from other dimensions, planets ...? Option three passes for "normal" and leads to all sorts of problems in the psyche, individual and collective ... as Alan Watts and many others have advised, "Do what you love, the universe takes care of the details" ... having the courage, which is the wisdom of the heart, to live this truth is not always easy ... and paradoxically, when in that flow, life seems to be living itself somehow ... trying to understand it with the fear infected mind too often the constant misguided companion ...
Anyway, visitors have arrived and enjoyed the simple comforts and surrounding delights, near and a little further, on foot and car assisted ... from the Land of the Free, sometimes known as Trumpistan, from Brockwood and the editor himself, on a visit from his summer retreat in France ... renovations still required, though all facilities are operational and since visits are priceless a few cosmetic changes may be excused ... yellow bathroom furniture apparently not as trendy as when first fitted ... solid fuel central heating, whilst cosy, rather labour intensive and climate unfriendly ...
As for the complications ensuing from the return to house and car ownership, they are seen as grist for the mill ... the free, wandering life a retreat and moving meditation ... re-engaging with community another practice along with the trickier task of more intimate interbeing ...
The library, in its third iteration, grows ... a boxful of books from Brockwood filling current shelf space ... recent trip to Findhorn adding the weird and wonderful Nature spirituality of Dorothy Maclean and Ogilvie Crombie ... who knows which book may spark with visitors, provide a piece of the jigsaw?
Since retirement is mostly one long holiday, a holiday from the holiday turns out to be a week at Brockwood as a volunteer, working to free the organic vegetables from unwanted competitors, otherwise known as "weeds" ... quite hard work in the sun, itself a good thing to experience briefly ... father's Protestant Work Ethic having been long resisted ... the fellowship of folks from around the world and different generations a real joy ... being part of the week-long bonding process fascinating and rewarding ... car enabling brief reunion with nearby friend and lover from another time ...
Meanwhile, the large and tempting house on Front Street, having replaced the "For Sale" sign with one saying "Sold" ... a small surprise met with equanimity ... quickly reverts to the previous status, raising the question of whether there is any energy out there for this dream of A Place to Be in the middle of Stanhope ...
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