Sunlight on the hillside

I'm in a bit of a funk at the moment. The last several weeks took me away from doing the things I wanted to do and left me doing what I didn't want to do. I retired for a reason and yet I agreed to fill in at the old job. It hasn't left me feeling warm and fuzzy. 

My life has been spent working for others. I got my first part-time job when I was sixteen. I wanted a car and cars cost money, ergo, one works to earn money. I didn't stop working until I turned sixty-five. 

Yes, those years are now paying dividends. I'm not rich, but I have retirement funding. More importantly, I have time to enjoy my home. And what do I do? I say "yes" to filling in while a girl is on maternity leave. Someone should beat me over that. 

Yesterday morning I was reminded of WHY it's important for me to be here tending to my hearth and home. I'm working on a new story and I'm spending a lot of early mornings in my office, which happens to be the sunroom. I glanced out the window in time to see the sunlight hit the hillside. It's in these quick, quiet moments that I know I belong here on the manor. 

I live on the west side of the mountain. To the west of the manor, I can see the pink sky and the small town in the valley. The townies already have full sun, but I'm in the shadow of the mountain. It is on the hillside that I first see bright sunlight. It starts with a sliver of brightness that grows as it makes its way down the hill. It is constant, there in all seasons, present in every day, even on cloudy days when the rays of light slip under the clouds for far too brief a moment. These moments soothe the ache in my soul. 

I did the right thing by agreeing to fill in at the old job. But if they reach out again, the right thing will be to say no. I know this because of the quiet early morning hours and something as simple as the sunlight on the hillside. 

The Lady of The Hideaway

simple country pleasures, sunlight, peaceful mountain, right things, a writer's life, working hard, retirement, sunroom

A patch of morning sunlight

Early morning is by far my favorite time of the day. For years and years, I've gotten up early to greet the day, resenting those working mornings when I had to rush to a day job in a congested city. Saturdays and Sundays were mornings I relished in silent gratitude. 

Times change. I've retired and my housemate's sleeping habits have changed. He gets up when I do, which doesn't exactly please me. I'm sure my being home all day every day doesn't please him, either. But I do miss the solitude of those two mornings a week. 

I see a wider perspective now. I have time to sit on my sunroom porch and observe the habits of deer, foxes, squirrels, and human neighbors. I mark the patterns of the sun as it comes over the mountain and the sunlight as it slips under the cloud cover. And some days I see a spot of magic as if the sunlight is saying, "Visit there today and see what awaits you." 

And while it speaks to me, I think it's better to leave the magic undisturbed and simply enjoy it for as long as it lasts.

The Lady of the Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, mornings, sunlight, magic, rural living, country lifestyle, woods, cloud cover, deer, fox, retirement