The World Around Us

Cottage serenity

Country: Canada by Lisette

20-08-2012

Scenic Lake.

It is 8 o’clock in the morning and I broke my promise to watch the sun rise over the lake. I should have known; my favourite time of the morning is around 10am when I have settled down in front of my desk, had my breakfast and first cups of tea, and feel like I can handle the world. My favourite time of the morning when out of town and surrounded by scenic beauty is 8am.

The sun is out and getting stronger, but the air is still crisp. People are waking up and life is slowly starting. I am sitting cross-legged on the dock, staring at the lake that is surrounded by many pine trees. A rowboat is slowly gliding by and ripples the water faintly while the neighbour nods to me. A lone bird is singing up in its tree. I wave back, not wanting to break the silence with a chirpy “Good morning!” This is cottage serenity.

As I sip my morning tea, there is the faintest of breezes. I shiver in my new, purple fleece. The world has just stopped for a moment, sharing with me the beauty of silence. Then the dock starts to sway gently. I look over my shoulder and Marlowe is walking over to join me. He kisses me good morning and then lies down, enjoying the slow morning.

The water keeps flowing gently as if nudging me to reminisce about some of the most important moments of my life. My wedding day in 2009; holding my sister’s baby girl for the very first time in 2004; anxiously waiting at the Amsterdam Airport for the plane to come that would swoop me over to Canada in 1999; asking Marlowe nervously if he wants to join me for a trip to Vietnam in 2008; my brother’s wedding day in 2004; saying a teary goodbye to my family the evening before hopping on the plane to India in 2006; and trembling at the top of the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand in 2005.

What new memories will Mozambique bring us, I wonder. A smile crosses my face as I remember parts of our wedding vows. One of the most important lines in mine is “with you I choose to share all that is and all that will be” while Marlowe’s vow mentions “as we explore each other through the world around us”. How appropriate.

I love this morning at the lake. This is cottage serenity.