We are at the beginning of November and on the verge of the darkest time of the year. We are slowly heading towards winter. Things look tough when you think about the war in Gaza. So much pain and suffering. But these crises, the wars, the uncertainty of the days are an opportunity to understand deep inside that nothing is certain except the present. So the best thing to do my friends is to live it to the fullest. Every day doesn’t have to involve some crazy activity and the simplest thing can be experienced so completely, so consciously and thus find ourselves in what the ancient Greeks called “ecstasy”. To melt in the moment, to cultivate feelings of love, unity and gratitude every day. This is what the hard times need.
Before we head into November, I want to share with you some things from the fall so far, so you can get an idea of how the landscape here changes over time and what I’ve been up to.
The green has definitely faded, and the deciduous trees have that orange-yellow look. Soon all their leaves will be gone. I know most people are sad when summer ends, but I think there is nothing better than winter and how it helps put our lives on schedule.
Every morning unique shades decorate the atmosphere and make Vytina look like a village from a fairy tale. On one side of the house I have visual contact with the village, while on the other, towards the ski resort, the imposing mountain. The temperatures have dropped a lot and summer clothes have been tucked away for days. Especially in the mornings when I drive to work, the temperature of the asphalt reaches even below 5°C! So you need to be careful because in some sunless places the road can be slippery. At the same time, every day the fogs decorate the corners of the forest or completely deprive the visibility for a while and create magical and eerie scenes.
Even the sun sets differently. Every day it is lower and lower and the trajectory it traces on the firmament is shorter, constantly the night comes earlier and earlier. During October I had the pleasure of enjoying some of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen on the mountain.
On the first day of November, I decided to say goodbye to October with a walk to some unexplored place. I also invited my good friend Ilias because I know he really likes walks in nature and especially when they include photography equipment! We took the road to the ski lift above Vytina and at some point before the road turned and disappeared into the forest, we stopped to enjoy the view from above. The village looked like a postcard.
I can say that it was a challenge to drive that day as I am now learning to drive on roads with big horseshoes in the corners but also lots of deep potholes! In fact, the news of the month is here! In October I got my own car that I needed so much! It is something that is required if you live outside of large cities where you can be served by Public Transport. It offers a lot of freedom to have my own vehicle. The explorations now begin!
I had checked two clearings on the map, one on the road, which I realized I had visited before, and a larger one off the main road, further away. We finally settled for the first, left the other for a maybe better day… We chatted and observed the birds and trees. There is nothing to “do” there in the heart of the mountain. Just calm down. I needed this neutral time to get my thinking in order and decompress. Life in the countryside, close to nature may be somewhat calmer, but that doesn’t mean there’s no pressure or stress at all. But here there is enough space for all of us. I can run or sit quietly under a tree.
In other news I’m laying the groundwork to get back into the jewelry business, as it had been on hiatus for a while due to commitments. At the same time I am working on a project, more specifically an interview that I will give for a magazine that will be published soon. It makes me feel good to be able to talk in another space besides my blog about life here in mountainous Arcadia.
To close your article I have prepared something that I have been envisioning for months. A slick video about how the landscape changes seasonally, specifically from June to today. You can easily spot how nature transforms, from the colors, the light, the insects, the plants, even myself… The music I chose is by Marie Hsiao specifically the track “Into The Woods”.
Until the next article I send you a warm hug!