I began this day reading a text message from Peter which had been preceded by a great card yesterday. Then a long call with Nick topics ranged from being alone (me) and being taken up in the lives and living of a busy father (him).
I had just listened to David Whyte, the poet and author, discussing the value of rest and taking time to be alone with ourselves. I believe my move to this small, remote island was very much about being alone with myself. Having been alone rarely in my life, I am reveling in it now. Solitude is for me a glorious thing.
But Nick reminded me that finding community and friends in this new home I’ve come to—now almost a year—is vital. And he’s correct. It is. And so I took myself to Edison, the nearby town founded in the late 1890’s, where a paella feast was scheduled today.
The venue for the paella adventure was Slough Food one of my favorite places in Edison. I don’t eat paella—shellfish is not on my food list—but I enjoy the place and the people and the rest of the menu which is very tasty.
So alone, and not alone. Two ways of being. Each salutary, each enriching.
SYNTHESIS 
Hi Alberta,
It was serendipity that brought me to your site. Because of my visit here Stephen and I just watched Good Luck to You Leo Grande. Pure delight! What a beautiful film in all the ways you describe. Thank you for bringing it into my awareness. Other nice coincidences…I was very recently introduced to the work of David Whyte…his poem Everything is Waiting for You. It came up in the context of a talmudic teaching about a teapot holding down the chaos of the world and brought clarity to an otherwise perplexing teaching. Beautiful! And just to ramble on a bit more…I had perhaps the best yellow curry squash soup ever at Slough Food, along with a peaceful memory of sitting with Stephen outside at the water’s edge on our way north for a weekend away. Thank you for sharing!
With good wishes,
Sheryl (Kipnis)
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Hi Sheryl, What a wonderful comment. Thank you so much. It makes me very happy to learn that you found interest and meaning in my post. I appreciate your comment very much!
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