The Road to World's End...

   Yesterday's post was a bit of serendipity.  I had, in fact, planned the text of the post before I came to the abbey on my New Year's retreat.  I had thought to just use the text, without any photograph.  Sitting in the library of our guest house I noticed the lovely andirons in front of the fireplace with their double spiral and voila!, I had the perfect image for the quote I'd planned to post on New Year's day!  As I was posting it, the text called to mind a conversation I'd had with another person staying at the abbey...of her walk to "World's End" not far from from our guest house!  I marveled at how often this happens in my travels...a text leads to an image, or an image will elicit a literary reference, a casual comment relates to a bit of writing I'd done.  It never fails to surprise and delight me, this synchronicity of experience, but as my new friend reminded me, "There are no coincidences!"  This happens more and more often the longer you practice contemplative photography I find.  Your mind becomes a fertile ground for metaphor and connections.

    So to celebrate the New Year, another new friend and I went off in search of this place called "World's End".   Despite the frigid temperatures and biting wind, it was a wonderful walk. The road leads you out but then loops around and, like Monday's quote, you find yourself back where you started from.  You can see the Boston skyline to the left yet you feel so detached from it all, in a world of your own. In ancient Celtic tradition, places at the water's edge can mark the intersection of the two worlds...the real world and the "other" world.  It certainly felt that way here. I could see the "real" world of commerce and industry on the horizon but my feet were firmly planted in a world of Nature and divine presence.   It was a lovely way to begin the New Year.   Where will your road take you this year?