We are currently living in a 13 x 19 foot log cabin that is very old. That is, 247 square feet, total. This includes the furniture, bathroom and the kitchen area. There are 2 adults, 2 dogs and 2 cats. We each have 41.166 square feet. That means we each have an area of about 6.4 feet x 6.4 feet, that we share with the furniture, bathroom and kitchen area. We are just entering our tenth week, however, the cats did not join us until after the first six weeks.

When I mentioned to my friend Stan, in Miami, that it was pretty cool but a little small, he replied that it is romantic. I thought about what he said and was applying the definition of romantic love to the situation and thought that was pretty nice. I looked the word up and found another definition I like as well. This one addresses romantic as an idealized view of reality.

I find that both of these fit well in our here and now. It is romantic in the love and caring sense of the word. The six of us have become very close, yes, very close indeed. Add to that the fact that there is no TV and the internet is only available at the cabin by using the phone which has a very unreliable signal outside on the porch and none inside. We spend time with our pets. We spend time reading. We spend time talking with each other. We spend time listening. We spend time enjoying the outside. We take walks and we meet the people that are becoming our friends and neighbors. Yes it is pretty cool.

This brings me to the idealized view of reality. Life can be simple and less stressful. It is possible to have more peace in each day. It is possible to experience the stillness and the space that provides such understanding.

We have reached the understanding that we have so much and we need so little. We will be forever grateful to our friend Rosie for providing us with this opportunity.

This does not mean that everything is always smooth and perfect. It means that this is life and I continue to receive the lessons necessary for me to connect with my true nature. A couple of weeks ago we had one of those “discussions.” We have not had one of those “discussions” for a long time. It was a “discussion” that had me leaving the cabin in my car and driving to the riverside to sit and think. I needed to reflect on how to get her to understand how right I was. My viewpoint must be right as I can see all of this and all of that. So my “thoughts” went with how wrong she was and how right I was. Didn’t she understand that I did understand and that she was the one who did not understand. That dog continued to chase it’s tail for a while until I noticed that I was able to step back, and see what was going on in my head. Again, I find myself in a place I have been before.

With this flash of insight I understood it was not important who was right and who was wrong. What became clear was how I handled myself in our exchange. My ego needed to be right. My point of view must be correct and the more I painted myself into that corner the more difficult it became to get out. I saw my self-centeredness in it’s full glory and I found myself speechless and humbled. I remembered a quote I had recently read that I believe was from the Buddha. I don’t remember it verbatim but it is something like this: when anger enters a discussion the search for truth ends.

I saw and understood how I avoided dealing with a situation that was difficult and uncomfortable for me. I used my avoidance vehichle, this time the car, to escape. I continue to learn that I use many types of avoidance vehicle and that each leads to a dead end; the only way out is back to the source.

I continue to find my truths by allowing the light to show me the way.