{"id":2641,"date":"2018-02-11T15:47:51","date_gmt":"2018-02-11T23:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?p=2641"},"modified":"2018-02-11T16:37:17","modified_gmt":"2018-02-12T00:37:17","slug":"time-away-calm-solitary-and-uninterrupted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?p=2641","title":{"rendered":"Time away . . . calm, solitary, and uninterrupted?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>Or maybe wild, accompanied, and interrupted?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Last month I spent two weeks on an island, in a beautiful home tucked in the forest, with a view looking south over the water. The evening sunset on the first night, after Heather and Greg \u2013 my friends and the home\u2019s owners \u2013 left for Mexico, looked like this:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-2646\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/1-Sunset-copy-644x420.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"644\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/1-Sunset-copy-644x420.jpg 644w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/1-Sunset-copy-300x196.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/1-Sunset-copy-768x501.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 644px) 100vw, 644px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And the woods were lush and green with moss and ferns and trees on top of trees.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-2641 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?attachment_id=2683'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-moss-square-adj-2-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-moss-square-adj-2-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-moss-square-adj-2-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-moss-square-adj-2-768x769.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-moss-square-adj-2-644x645.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?attachment_id=2680'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-trees-on-trees-square-adj-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-trees-on-trees-square-adj-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-trees-on-trees-square-adj-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-trees-on-trees-square-adj-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2-trees-on-trees-square-adj-644x644.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Pretty idyllic, right?<\/p>\n<p>I was working on a gnarly question I\u2019d posed to myself and had imagined that a stretch of calm, solitary, uninterrupted time was just what I needed to tackle it.<\/p>\n<p>I was wrong.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><em><strong>First<\/strong><strong>,<\/strong><strong> I was wrong<\/strong><\/em> <\/span>to assume I\u2019d have two calm, serene weeks. The beauty remained, and I wouldn\u2019t want to have missed all the forms it took while I was there. But after that first sunset, the wind and storms picked up and the beauty took a wildly different form. I\u2019d been warned that the island could be windy, but it kicked into the extreme . . . gusts up to 50 miles an hour, I heard later. Big branches landed in the roads, a door in the house blew open, and things outside got tossed around. In early morning, the power went out across the island, only briefly, but the outage may have triggered the string of other little interruptions over the next few days \u2013 the geothermal heat pump stopped working, I couldn\u2019t figure out how to turn the stove top back on, and one night the smoke alarm over my bed began chirping.<\/p>\n<p>All this meant I also got to know islanders, like the folks at the island hardware store (where I bought space heaters and then smoke alarm batteries) and the neighbor up the road who helped me install the batteries when the chirping started in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n<p>Even after the weather and surprise home tasks calmed down, I had one of those crazy-making, computer-based meltdowns that consumes a day in a minute.<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>Then, I was wrong<\/strong><\/span><\/em> about the benefits of being solitary. After all, Fergie came with the house and was my companion for the two weeks. Sharing my life with a dog was new to me.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-2641 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?attachment_id=2653'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Patient-Fergie-square-sml-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Patient-Fergie-square-sml-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Patient-Fergie-square-sml-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Patient-Fergie-square-sml-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Patient-Fergie-square-sml-644x644.jpg 644w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Patient-Fergie-square-sml-e1518309305315.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?attachment_id=2649'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"274\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Curled-up-Fergie-squarish-300x274.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Curled-up-Fergie-squarish-300x274.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Curled-up-Fergie-squarish-768x700.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Curled-up-Fergie-squarish-644x587.jpg 644w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-Curled-up-Fergie-squarish-e1518388805622.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>She and I took walks twice a day, up Buck Mountain in the morning and somewhere farther away for a longer adventure in the afternoon.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-2641 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?attachment_id=2659'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-on-the-beach-copy-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-on-the-beach-copy-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-on-the-beach-copy-768x1024.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-on-the-beach-copy-644x859.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?attachment_id=2658'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-in-the-woods-copy-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-in-the-woods-copy-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-in-the-woods-copy-768x1024.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-in-the-woods-copy-644x859.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/?attachment_id=2675'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-the-lake-profile-2-1-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-the-lake-profile-2-1-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-the-lake-profile-2-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/4-Fergie-the-lake-profile-2-1-644x859.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>I learned that living with Fergie came with both costs and benefits, with responsibilities and interruptions but also with the joy and comfort of companionship. I\u2019m not ready to find a dog of my own, but I would not have traded those two weeks with Fergie for something closer to complete solitude.<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>I was also wrong<\/strong><\/span><\/em> to anticipate that being out of my normal routine would provide a long stretch of internal focus and calm. One afternoon early in my stay as I was still learning my new routine, I began to prepare for venturing out in the rain to do a few errands and take a walk with Fergie. Did I have the leash, the doggie treats in my pocket, the car keys, my umbrella and scarf, the flash drive for printing at the library, the grocery list, my driver\u2019s license, the doggie poop bag? What had I forgotten? And while figuring it out, Fergie, with her extrasensory powers, tried to be patient (sort of), circling me by the door, chomping at me in her friendly way, waiting for this slow human to get her act together. Putting my shoes on (I&#8217;d left a couple of pairs right by the door to make it easy) was the final step before going out. Our flurried departure was hardly calm.<\/p>\n<p>After a short drive to the town library, I stepped out of the car and noticed my feet. I paused a moment to consider how ready I was to show off my new fashion statement, and then I went inside to print.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2660\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/5-my-feet-644x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/5-my-feet-644x450.jpg 644w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/5-my-feet-300x209.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/5-my-feet-768x536.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>Most of all, I learned I was wrong<\/strong><\/span><\/em> about needing serenity and no interruptions in order to tackle the work I\u2019d brought along. Sometimes I need extended stretches of quiet time. But for this \u201ctime away\u201d that wasn\u2019t what I needed. I needed a wildness and a companion and all those interruptions. I didn\u2019t answer my question. I didn\u2019t \u201csolve\u201d my problem. Instead I learned that, like other puzzles in real life, it doesn\u2019t have an easy or a simple solution. Living with my gnarly question, which itself involves a mix of dark and light, anxiety and hopefulness, was well matched to my time away on the island.<\/p>\n<p>Those two weeks were a gift that will grow in value over time.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2595\" src=\"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/cropped-9099-Logo-red_D-nick-square-smaller.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"35\" height=\"35\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Or maybe wild, accompanied, and interrupted? Last month I spent two weeks on an island, in a beautiful home tucked in the forest, with a view looking south over the water. The evening sunset on the first night, after Heather and Greg \u2013 my friends and the home\u2019s owners \u2013 left for Mexico, looked like&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-time-away"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7pXN0-GB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2641"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2695,"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641\/revisions\/2695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.annefocke.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}