Sometimes I feel like running away. Like hiding in my mother’s lap, being rocked to sleep. Waking up bathing in sweat, wrapped in blankets and nightmares. Vivid dreams can be a blessing or a curse. The gateway to dream world is one I look forward to entering every night, letting go of day time worries. Never knowing what's waiting around the corner.
The city asks a lot of me. Day or night, Brussels is alive. Tickling my curiosity, taking me on adventures. No place to rest, no time to recharge my batteries. At least once a week, I need to leave. Get out and hide into nature’s nest. Bike rides to grandma’s garden, road trips south of the river.
The Ardennes are the perfect getaway place in Belgium, rolling hills and endless forests included. Big city lights and other stimuli left behind. Wild flowers take over concrete buildings. Fifty shades of green, switching my perspective, zooming in to what’s real.
This is where I can be productive. Let my creative juices flow, my inner child run wild. Muddy boots and dirty hands. Head full of stories, seeping out of my mind into written words. Earth in my hair, flower crowns and poetry. Summer solstice celebration, African rhythms still moving my arms swiftly. Red wine around the fire, midnight writing sessions. A long table filled with ghost stories in an old house, wood breathing under our feet.
Happy solstice! Happy summer!
Love from nature’s nest.