Peaks Island: A Place of Wonder
I’ve fallen into an aggregate of Mermaids over the past year. These women are artists, entrepreneurs, activist and outdoorswomen and… without getting too familiar, all post-menopausal women unapologetically being just who they are. Falling into this aggregate has become a an enormous gift and lovely example of how things in life change for the better in unimaginable ways. Perhaps this is universal, one of the simple facts of life that so often strike me profoundly. I am repeatedly enamored with life’s mysteries. Always surprised with just how little I know about what to expect. Mind you, I have opinions and I’m happy to discuss many of them. I have learned through life’s trials to listen the voice that urges me to trust what is in front of me as real and true and to be comfortable walking toward that place of unknowing that lingers just out of focus.
Back to the Mermaids, most days, through a group text, we discuss the tides, the wind, and the shores. We meet usually within a couple hours of the high tide at a place and time reached through consensus. That’s the first gift of the day. Flexible and accommodating, this group strives toward the middle to explore what works for most. Occasionally splinter groups diverge to meet the needs of individual group members in ways that are supportive. If someone wants to swim, a mermaid steps up so that person will not swim alone. The bond and the commitment are powerful. This is not the same group of badass PI women I raised my children with. Nor is it a group of people I have had the opportunity to socialize with much. Yet- this is a group of women with a common purpose and we support each other in that simple goal… get in the water for thirtyish minutes most days. We meet, we swim, we disperse. Another lesson to be open to explore what is new with people who are new.
Today we set our sight on Hadlock Cove on the south shore of Peaks Island. It’s become a favorite spot as there’s plenty of water during all tides and sits in the lee of the prevailing winter winds most days. As we gathered and readied ourselves for the short rocky walk into experiencing the invigorating shock that comes in the forty-one degree water. With the usual banter occurring, a member called our attention, “LOOK!” she said…. We stood in wonder as we watched a white-tailed doe saunter out of the water. Rivulets of water running off her haunches as she made her way up the pebbled shore. She did not bolt, but rather casually took her time, head turned toward us as if not only to assess if we posed a threat, but as if she was as struck by our presence as we were by hers. A reminder of how we share this place of wonder. How filled with gratitude I am to have been there to notice.
Hope to see you all at the concert tomorrow night. One of the great wonders of this place is we have the opportunity to live fully with our neighbors in our immediate natural surroundings. One of the gifts of island life. Occasionally, get opportunities like walking through a snowstorm to the New Brackett Church. it’s been awhile since a lovely performance coincided with a snow storm. The confluence of those things is magic. To hear live music, richly played holds the power to opening our hearts and minds to the beauty that surrounds us. If the walk there doesn’t get you the music surely will.
