The Pleasures of Disconnecting

One of the best things of living by oneself is the ability to take a step back from the day to day activities at ones own leisure. I took the opportunity of this past victoria day weekend to do just that. My buddy Ryan invited me to his cottage in Calabogie, some five hours northToronto, which may very well be a little quite corner of heaven.

Although it had been quite a while since my last trip to the Northern Areas of Pakistan but the smell of the pine in the air as well the quality of it reminded me of Kakul where I went to spend a few weeks of summer to meet my uncle who was at one point heading the millitary academy there. Living in the city, one does not realize what truly fresh air means. As stepped out of our ride at almost 2 at night I was welcomed by a chilly breeze which carried the aroma of pine woods and burning cedar wood which is commonly used as fire wood in the local homes. unlike city air that you can suck in for a bit before your lungs need to retract, the country just keep going in and the whole system responded as though it had come across a certain elixir like substance. There was a party in my lungs and the Calabogie air was undoubtedly the guest of the evening.

So being in such relaxing environment I realized the beauty of not having to respond to phone or emails or not worrying about the day at work or catching the right bus and other such rudimentary things that we become used to in the city. It was actually like disconnecting from the world which in this day in age is not a privilege but a need for all of us to do from time to time in order for us to maintain our sanity.

Although the weather could have afforded us a bit more of sun and a little less of rain, however we still managed to find ourselves the most peaceful of spots to enjoy an odd beverage or two while hoping to catch a fish or two. Wilderness was at complete harmony, for at some secluded spot the silence was harmonically broken the call of the loon or the noise of a blue heron gentally taking a dive from over our head into the lake looking for some fish. Speaking of Loons, I learnt from a local late one evening that they are one most loyal animal/bird alive. They always travel in pair and if their mate dies, they never find another companion. Thats a lot more than we can say for some people whose former mates are still alive :D

And so I used three days of a week to unwind from all the grime and stress that the city had pouring over in heaps. As we hit the dusty road back to the big city, both Ryan and I wished we could spend another day or so here. But what would be enough? Maybe small doses is the right prescription.