Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Very Good Forest
"A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow."
-Charlotte Brontë
Mater and I were side by side in the bed last week; and as the light was turned out I asked if we might go shopping the following day.
There was a long silence. After about a minute, Mater stirred and asked what we had been discussing: she was coasting into slumber and had forgotten the thread of the question.
I repeated it.
"We might go to the forest," she eventually said, to my surprise, given that it was the middle of December and not the most suitable season to be venturing into wooded areas.
I soon gathered that Mater was hovering gently between layers of sleep and that her mind was elsewhere.
I asked, because I needed to know, "why would we go to the forest?"
After a pause in which I thought Mater had finally surrendered the curious conversation and fallen asleep, she answered with a definitive air of confidence that deftly implied my lack of knowledge about the benefits of trees: "well, it might be a very good forest."
I was struck by the happy air of the words, mumbled without a hint of the doubt or trouble that too often permeates the waking hours.
I concluded that indeed it might be a very good forest; and not another word was uttered about it.
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5 comments:
Finally, I've a chance to catch up with you. I've missed much.
How wonderful the feeling of surrender to sleep, safe with loved ones near.
Please accept a humble prayer for Mater and you and warm thoughts as wee bit of Christmas.
Lovely post and so well said--our sleep protects us--helps us process things that frighten us--you are a sweet daughter to have asked her about the forest. Merry Christmas. I count you and your family as one of my very special gifts this year.
our minds take strange twists and turns at times...
happy christmas to you and yours!
It's so lovely to see you and Mater here again... enjoy a wonderful holiday and please give our very best to your sweet Mater.
Hugs from SF.
xoxo
Dave, welcome back from your wanderings! And thanks for thinking of Mater. I will pass it on :)
Beth, I have on occasion been a bit mean and prompted Mater to keep talking so I could hear wild and incoherent stories, but not this time ;) I really did want to hear about the forest. Mater will be reading your comment and it will warm her heart, I can tell you. Happy Christmas to you too.
Polona, they do- minds can be very, very interesting :) Happy Christmas.
Tangobaby, I've got a few Mater stories up my sleeve ;) I ran around Ireland with my notebook, so there are some stashed away.
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