Before the battles between men and dragons, there was a time when the Veiled Valley was green and covered with trees, berry bushes, and wildflowers. Birdsong filled the air from early morning until sunset. Sunriseside, a mountain, peaked above a vast, dark forest. At the base of its tree-covered slopes, far below our ancestors, a lodge housed a large family of Valley Folk...”   — Poet Susan Bass.

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Joan Chittister writes that a blessing of older years is seeing that life does not have to be perfect to be perfect. It only needs to be forgiving—and forgiven.

I often wonder why it has been so difficult to understand that I don’t need to be perfect to be happy.

For years, I have decided to make Saturday at least a partial day of rest, as my grandparents did. I work hard every day, all week, and I’ve always gotten tired. Today, I will rest a bit and do it next week.

I cannot do this rest all day, so I’m going for 50-50.

This is not religious but spiritual; I ache for silence and quiet. Today, finally, I’m doing it. I promised myself that before noon, I would cease writing, blogging, taking pictures, and writing essays. I’m unsure whether I am getting wiser or more easily tired as I age. By Saturday, my head is tired. But after this, I’m turning the devices off, meditating for an hour or so, thinking in silence, perhaps reaching. I have a promising new British Police Procedural to look at tonight.

This is an almost spiritual and meditative process for me and Maria. Police procedures are the only TV we ever watch, and we watch those on our cell phones.

Wikipedia: British police procedural television series, a sub-drama of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist, as contrasted with other genres that focus on either a private detective, an amateur investigator, or the characters who are the targets of investigations. While many police procedurals conceal the criminal’s identity until the crime is solved in the narrative climax, others reveal the perpetrator’s identity to the audience early in the narrative, making it an inverted detective story. Whatever the plot style, the defining element of a police procedural is the attempt to accurately depict the law enforcement profession, including police-related topics such as forensic science, autopsies, gathering evidence, search warrants, interrogation, and adherence to legal restrictions and production, and adherence to legal restrictions and procedure.

After signing off today, my long dream comes true: first lunch (Our friend Ian McRae is coming), then meditation, rest, silence, reading, and perhaps my procedural. It’s about time.

One challenge of being older is that I am at risk of allowing myself to be choked and dominated by the struggles of the past. However, one thing people overlook about getting older is that it is a kind of liberation. I am free to be happy, and no one can fire me for swimming in silence. I need it. I hope to see you tomorrow.