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| 'Vintage thought' |
I understand the saying 'curiosity killed the cat' and 'ignorance is bliss' but we've got to where we are because of curiosity and change - that's evolution isn't it? So I allowed my mind to look into that unknown place and ask those unanswerable questions. While lying on my turquoise sarong on the white sand beach today, slightly blazed and delirious from a spliff and a few swigs of cider, I soaked in the philosophical conversation that my mum and her great friend were having. Some of it was airy fairy 'we just exist, we have to make the most of now and enjoy the 'wow' moment of realizing that this is everything'. But then I started getting into it, think of the idea that some philosophies of life (yogic or buddhist especially) are about detachment from our material possessions, letting go of such strong emotional connections with people and enjoying them purely for what they are (so objectively). Yet if one's enlightened, everything around you shouldn't seem a distraction or something to get away from, as everything around us is what shapes our reality, hence it should be embraced and accepted, we need to live a subjective life to truly be present. I think of enlightenment as a pyramid... similar to Maslow's hierarchy of human needs - enlightenment can't be reached until all the other layers have been completed/ met. But the needs on Maslow's hierarchy revolve a lot around what our society deems to be the most important aspects, money, security, love etc. and of course I agree to a certain extent, but when someone reaches pure acceptance, where the light and the dark (yin and yang, good and evil, whatever you want to call it) are balanced within your perception and understanding of the world, your reality lifts to a higher vibrational frequency and everything 'makes sense'. That's what I believe anyway, if you can understand my thought train.
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| S. with her dogs |
So that's one philosophical thought - 'oh the meaning of life', I give you permission to roll your eyes, but bear with me. I rolled over onto my other side, just to ensure I didn't end up looking like a piece of bread at the end of a loaf: brown on one side and white on the other. I gazed at the expansive blue sky that just seemed so ethereal and never-ending. I couldn't imagine that only a week ago clouds had littered this view, and now there was absolutely nothing. It made me feel so insignificant and vulnerable under such a wide-spread sheet of aqua. So I'd pondered about life, now I pondered about death. When do we disappear?
My brother has this slight obsession with fame, or people associated with fame. Anything famous has top priority and I'm sure one day I'll turn on the TV, or whatever new technology exists, and he'll be on it rocking away with shaggy hair on his guitar. But I don't totally understand the desire of fame unless it's just an accessory to success after pursuing your dream career. It brings so many toxins with it and envelops you into a tough world that's hard to not conform to. Just look at British TV today - Made in Chelsea, The only way is Essex, Geordie shore, The Kardashians, we're all obsessed with watching other 'famous' people's lives instead of entertaining ourselves with our own- isn't that weird? But anyway, back to my point, so while I think being famous has so many downfalls, it does ensure that your name lives on in some way - whether it's on TV, through records or CD's, in documents or books, or even on google. Having your name out there means that when you do eventually die - your name won't only live through the people you knew until
they eventually die and your stories stop being told. Your legacy gets read about or listened to or watched. So for that
(slightly morbid) reason I understand the pull that celeb-dome has.
I woke up a bit with a splash in the ice-cold waters, managing to stay in for longer than 5 minutes until my lungs felt as though they were going to collapse and hypothermia was fast approaching. A slight exaggeration I admit, but something has to be said for the freezing british seas and their drastic impact on the human body.. it's my last day with my mum before she leaves our lovely cottage to go and spend a few days in London with family and friends. I'll see her next at Christmas, and the impact of really 'leaving the nest' is hitting me as I can see it happen before my eyes. And because I've almost developed a 'script' that I recite when asked 'so what are you planning on doing on your gap year?' constantly repeating something always brings with it a sense of normality.
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What a laugh - These were being sold at the 'Pigs Nose pub'
"PIGS NOSES, DOGGIE TREATS 20p" |
How are you supposed to spend your last day with your mum? Today we've just been enjoying it like any other. Yoga, a great BBQ for lunch (spiced chicken, sausages, burgers, beautiful organic salads, brie, salmon, fresh walnut-date bread, avocado's and tomatoes and lots of sangria), a walk to the beach, a stop-off at the pub where we replenished our sun-struck bodies with fizzy elderflower and scrumpy (local cider) and Devonshire burts-crisps and ice cream. Roast pork and apple for dins, if we can fit any more in! Today's been the philosophical day, passing on the last 'words of wisdom' before I gain independence from my maternal pillar. "Every choice you make is a vote" that was one conversation I held on to - when you choose to buy a certain brand you take on the responsibility of supporting their morals and what they stand for - child labour? Their CSR? Their treatment of animals, produce or farmers? It's all about awareness I guess..
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| Kids in a sweetshop? |
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| Pasties on the pier |
Out of the corner of my eye I can sea the pink and white striped 'Cranches' bag that we got this morning, it's from our traditional sweetshop that has been around ever since I can remember. When you walk in all you see is containers of every sweet you can imagine, old and new. 1p cola bottles, flying saucers, bon bons, maple-walnut fudge, liquorice, sour apples, turkish delight, oh my god it goes on forever. You take your little basket and walk around filling it to your hearts content - despite being 18 years old the concept of 'a child in a sweetshop' still remains. My brother's panic-stricken eyes as he rushed around under time-constraint as we had to get back in our little motor-boat before the tide went down. I pranced around in an orderly manner knowing exactly what I wanted to choose. We asked the shop-keeper who supplied the sweets and he told us about this fantastic sweet factory that had sweets from any era you wanted - different sections for sweets from the 1920's, 30's, 40's etc etc etc. How amazing would that be. About 20 minutes after leaving the shop I had a tooth ache from eating half my bag in a sugary rush of excitement.. We sat on the edge of the dock watching the seagulls and eating a pasty before boating back (just in time) to get the BBQ set up.. sorry about the non-chronological order of my comings and goings but the mind just doesn't work like that.
I'm still lightly buzzing and the golden hue of another summer sunset is casting long shadows behind the tall sail boats that are moored near our cottage, the tide's high and another beautiful evening is about to commence (accompanied by a few glasses of red).
Recipe of the day: Spiced marinated chicken (serve with natural yogurt)
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/indian-style-marinated-chicken-10000001215931/
Drink of the day: Sangria (Yummy with fresh mint leaves)
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