I love living in London. I love living in the city. But every once in a while, it is great to get away from the bustle of the city and enjoy the green, the nature, the simple things in life.
Last five days I've spent in Foy, Ross-On-Wye, South England. And what wonderful time I've had. But on the fifth day, I was ready to go back home, to the big smoke. I was happy to see buildings and concrete!!!
But while away, I truly enjoyed everything country side has to offer. I gazed at the stars at night (one of the favourite things to do), took long walks, enjoyed the fresh air.
Here are some of the things I saw and experienced.
In contrast to my first home Bosnia and Herzegovina, England is really flat. I admired its landscape on the way to the woods:
A big group of London kids have never seen where and how the corn grows. This boy secretly took one of the corns from the neighbouring farm. He was quite pleased with himself and his thieving occupation that day. Even though some of the adults told him off, I supported his mischief. He said: "This is better than watching TV!" I think he is right:
On the walk, we admired the river Wye. Muddy, but still pretty:
On our walk, I spotted these juicy apples. I didn't join in the thievery of the day, but I took pictures:
We all laughed at the tiny post box and took quite a few pictures posing in front of it. In London, you only get the very big ones. This was quite a big deal to all of us:
I spent quite some time watching the swans. Of course, I couldn't help recalling the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling". It made me think of the moral of that lovely story, and how relevant it is to the kids I was spending my time with. In fact, one of the first things I did when I got back home was to re read it. I realised then that it actually resonates with adults too, not just children:
And then, on the last day as I was waiting for the children to gather, I noticed one of the young people who work and live at the activity camp we were staying at, working. I noticed how neatly he was placing the helmets he was washing:
I stood and watched him work. He'd wash one helmet, placed it on the boat, then stood back to see how it looks. It was so nice to see how much satisfaction he was having in doing this seemingly mundane chore. The activity camp was closing for the season the next day, and he was cleaning and preparing for the next season that would start in February 2013.
I went over to take pictures and of course, to have a little chat. I said: "You seem to get a lot of satisfaction out of what you're doing." He replied: "If you're not enjoying what you are doing, then you are looking in the wrong place."
And I thought, how wise he is (he is probably only 22-23), and how lucky I am. My job does not pay well. It is pretty stressful and it is very tiring. Yet, I find it very satisfying and rewarding. On a good day, I make a difference to someone's life and their learning. On a less good day, I make sure that I make someone at least smile. I am very lucky, just as this guy seems to be:
As I turned to go, I spotted these beautiful roses. Not only were they pretty, but they also smelt nice:
Nourished with everything nature has to offer, I was ready to go back home, to concrete buildings, to London.
I am going to leave you with this:
"Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
Have a lively and happy week everyone.
Red xx
3 comments:
Hello:
How very, very true. What the world most certainly needs is people who come alive. And it would seem to us that this whole trip to Ross-on-Wye [for years we lived in Herefordshire] has given to some young people who, possibly, are deprived of so much that we take for granted, the opportunity really to come alive in an environment so very different from their own. And who cares about one 'stolen' corn on the cob which, in its total simplicity, has served to enrich a life.
OK little confession: shortly back I went on a tandem bike ride with my boyfriend and we drove through the fields. We also passed some cord fields and decided to take 2 and use them for dinner. They looked really good and yellow, but after ages of cooking them they were still hard and not edible. So it wasn't a success story. I guess that's the payback for being a thief. ;)
Each one to there own. I hate the concrete jungle having lived in the country all my life. If I do not Have to go to a big city I don't. Glad though that you had a good break and had time to smell the roses. Have a good week. Diane
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