Arthur Christopher Benson said that, “Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.”
Usually I would agree. We all know that the real work of any fundamental interior changes begins within.
But then again, we are currently living in a pandemic. Sometimes it’s not about ourselves. Sometimes it really is simply about our surroundings. Maybe Mr. Benson wasn’t tired of his four walls and, given that he died in 1925, I’m pretty sure he didn’t own a trailer.
In fact, I’m going to guess that living in England, Mr. Benson didn’t have access to the lovely option of a road trip. I don’t think it was really a thing back then. But I bet if he did, he would have modified that quote to say that sometimes a change of scene is exactly what one needs.
And so, last weekend, Mr. Redl and I packed up the Pod and headed out.
Wasa Lake is only about 40 minutes from our house, but we knew we didn’t need to go far. We needed a safe shift in surroundings. This was going to be our prescriptive antidote to the pandemic.
We never did launch the canoe as the wind was fairly steady with intermittent gusts that made a paddle seem a little risky. Instead, we decided to play tourist. We shifted the focus to a reconnaissance mission – scouting out future possibilities for canoeing.
We found lakes we’d never been to, walked the path around Wasa and had a campfire both nights.
In short, it was a low-key and welcome diversion from being at home these past months.
We ate all our meals outside. Even if you have to bundle up a little, food always taste better outdoors.
There is something quite energizing about quite literally shifting one’s view. We were only away for two nights but coming home, felt, well…like coming home.
A change of scene is a lovely prescription.
I’m quite sure even Mr. A.C. Benson would concur.