There seems to be no end to the peregrinations of the unquiet mind . I travel so many circuitous roads along my journey believing all the while I have found it this time and only to be disappointed later. How many times can I do this, I ask?
What is the root of this restlessness? Could it be the words that echo throughout my memory, “If you don’t like it you can get out”? or, “It’s my way or hit the highway”. Or just a simple, “I”m going, don’t look back.” Whatever it is, I have embraced husbands, horses, dogs and cats, travel, and expensive real estate to no avail. Now I dream of a fantasy donkey that I cannot even offer a home to. And so, I sit beneath this roof here with at least the borzois, Jelly and Tresor, Angels, who give me love in full measure. I know I am lucky but why do I want to run away? Why is it so hard to just be here, in this time and place, and simply be happy or content? Is so much really wrong?
*****************************************************************************************
We just got back last night with the borzois from Cape May, a lovely, charming town with a large section of preserved Victorian houses, many of which are small hotels or bed and breakfast inns. They were decorated for Christmas and we went there specifically to take a Christmas house tour. It was splendid to be there at Christmas for me again after an absence of decades and to show it to LT. There is so much splendid beauty to see within the walls of very old, wooden structures that require much maintenance simply to hold up to the extreme exposure to wind and water over a century and more! They are all labors of love, each one a unique jewel in itself. It is a beautiful thing that there are not only so many of them preserved but so many people who chose to dedicate their lives and spend their financial resources maintaining them in this prime condition. If my own little Mountainside cottage costs me what it does, I can only gasp at the thought of the cost of maintaining such stately mansions as these. This section of town is nothing less than a living museum. I can see it no other way, and I am not alone in my opinion. I am so pleased to see the town bursting with tourists as excited to see it lit up for Christmas as I was! There was also a Christmas Parade that’s starting point was marching down Broadway, the street in West Cape May where our “pet friendly” inn, Highland House was, giving us a perfect viewing station out of our bedroom window! We were told that this year marked its 50th year of high quality fun and class that you just don’t see in New Jersey every day. It was complete with floats, fire trucks lit up like Christmas trees, talented musicians and singers, so much so that we thought we were watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Cape May, a true year round town, is a town all of New Jersey should appreciate with pride. I am always so happy to be there! The borzois and LT enjoyed themselves immensely, too!
***************************************************************************************
But then it is time to return to the inevitable place my home with Blyss Kennels in Mountainside. It is not my farm in Pennsylvania or my own small home by the sea, homes that consume my days fantasizing about. In one, I have a large fenced field for the borzoi, and a barn where I keep one retired horse and a donkey. At my home by the sea, it is totally different. My house is more like my Mountainside cottage, only it is decorated differently. There, I only am there with my borzoi, Tresor and Jelly. I grow flowers in a garden and lead a more relaxed life. I am more content and at peace here. All is well. But, I do not feel this way here in my current home, although I am working on achieving my serenity with the life I have. Too many fantasies about my wandering ways are dangerous.