Donn King discovered a book by poet Ross Gay entitled The Book of Delights. It has inspired him to post a daily thought sparked by noticing something (or some things) delightful, thereby fostering joy. May it inspire you to notice also.
I didn’t forget. But you haven’t seen anything from me for a few days. That’s because we took a few days away at a cabin in the woods, off the grid.
So this isn’t strictly yesterday’s delights. We actually returned Friday, and then took all day yesterday to catch up on required tasks. But this is an observation of just a few of the delights that cropped up over a wonderfully timeless time away.
I wrote earlier about what I thought would be the best things about the time away. Without looking at that post, here are my thoughts about what it was actually like.
Amazing quiet
It was the middle of the week, so there were hardly any other cabin folks around. There were 10 or so rustic cabins in our immediate area, only three of which had any occupants, and the closest one was a hundred yards away. Even in the middle of the day, you could go outside and hear absolutely nothing except the wind in the trees and occasional birds. I even heard a woodpecker at one point. No traffic sounds. Nothing.
Sleep when we wanted
We went to bed early if we wanted or stayed up late talking or reading or whatever. For the most part, we didn’t look at a clock at all. Took a nap in the afternoon. No alarm clock. We woke up when we wanted. While the larger context is the open schedule, the delight I’m focusing on here is not having to subsume the need for sleep to all the other demands of life.
Time with each other
Without distractions my wife and I could focus on each other. That was truly restorative, and truly much needed. Focusing on each other with no outside demands or distractions—that was really the best part.
Simple food
Though it was a rustic cabin, it had a highly functional kitchen, including a microwave (which was a surprise—the cabin description did not include that). We took food with us, and were able to eat as much as we wanted without spending a lot of time on prep (or money eating out). Except for making a short run on the first day for the bread and cheese I forgot to bring, we didn't leave the cabin at all for three days. While there was nothing fancy about the food, we were by no means deprived. Just as we slept when we wanted, we ate when we wanted.
Open space
I've mentioned before that for a number of reasons we live in a cluttered house. There is no use going into all the reasons. Just understand that it’s very cluttered, and I’m limited in my ability to change that. I'm working at reducing the clutter—my personal preference would be what I call "Japanese simplicity."
So it was a vast, wonderful delight to live for a few days in a spacious, open, uncluttered place. It was like a high-end monk’s retreat cabin.
Although we took more stuff with us than we really needed, it was so much less than what we have around us at home, and reinforces the insight that we really don’t need much to be happy. We had everything we needed. Moving around was easy. Things didn't get lost. Dish washing was easy. I’m trying to figure out how to accomplish that in our permanent space. In any case, having that space for three days really let me relax.
Mountains
This was not my wife's favorite, but it is one of mine. She knows this about me, and so this time away was a real gift from her to me, though in retrospect she enjoyed the trip as much as I did—just not this part of it.
Our cabin was one of the rustic ones at Norris Dam State Park, which is surrounded by the Cumberland Mountains. I loved the drive, and I loved the view of the surrounding hills from our location. The mountains call to me, even though I can't walk the trails any more. Being in the mountains is my happy place.
I can’t wait to go back again. One of the best parts: my wife said she would also like to come back here. This could become something regular.
Donn King is The Confidence Cultivator. He is a professor of communication studies (which means “a professor of standing up in front of people and saying stuff”). He’s also a pastor, a speaker, a writer, and a communication coach. He works with professionals and leaders just like you who want to speak confidently so they can increase their impact, gain influence, and build their careers. Send email to donn at donnellking dot com if you would like to see if he could help you communicate with greater confidence.