Finding "Time To Stop and Stare"

"What is this life if, full of care

We have no time to stand and stare."

("Lesiure" by William Henry Davies)

These are one of my favourite lines of poetry. Nature and its wonders are a fountain to replenish the arid, aching soul. Every time I feel the rush of the pressures of life, these lines remind me that life is not just about the 'cares,' it is also for the 'stares.' 

What value does all the hard work have if we have no time to pause and just be? Why must we slog if we cannot unwind and enjoy a moment of rest? What do we gain at the end of it all?

As I arrived with my family at the small cottage for our weekend getaway, this seating arrangement beneath the tree caught my eyes. All I could think of was Davies' lines.

Too long I had been caught up in my own 'cares' struggling to find solutions to never ending problems. Just standing in the place made me feel a surge of calm reassurance that all will be well. The next moment I wished there were such places of calm in the city too. Why should one have to travel always to the woods and hills to find calmness?  

As I sat pondering, it struck me that even if such a place were there, I wouldn't have gone there frequently because such is our existence, so full of mundane chores, never ending to-do lists, etc... It wouldn't be very relaxing too, with all the daily grind so close at hand.

Maybe the best I could do was immerse myself for these two days, soaking in all the calm I needed, recharging myself for the chaos I would face soon.

The very act of moving out from the zone of chaos to this abode of calm was just what I needed. Maybe it was not a bad idea at all to travel in search of places like these. Who knows, maybe if it was close at hand, it may not be as 'exotic' as it is now? As I left the place, I promised myself I would make more such journeys to push away all 'cares' and to just stand and 'stare'.