I guess it's for the soothing effect or rustic appeal men naturally have. It has to be decades old with rolled edges and a few tears. There is a faded quality to it. The scene belongs there.

 

Imagine a cabin on the shore of a wooded lake. The structure appears to be one room; made of the same wood that fills the background. The cabin can't be 10 feet from the water. There is a canoe moored at a crude dock nearby. The smoke rising from the chimney belies life in those woods. It is dusk and light shines from windows indicating lamp use; there are no power lines in the scene.

Birds fly in many directions. A moose pauses on a peninsula to look toward the cabin. It is how it should be; how it was meant to be.

 

As I look every week, I feel a longing for that life. I don't know why but something pulls at me. Perhaps I want to simplify my life without even knowing it; may be, I need to. What if we all need to?

 

I do find myself questioning why I live like I do. Why do I have so many things going on? Why am I seemingly lazy when I know I should change something? Where do the hours go? I even find myself unable to play catch with my son because there are too many demands. I feel so bad. I question my priorities but all of those demands are priorities.

I secretly wish it was all gone. Then, I remember that scene in the woods.

 

Even if you are personally content with life, you yearn for that most basic existence; one that puts you with nature. Not that you would throw your life away and become a hermit, but that you would want to temporarily return to a time when earth and man were one. It's a primeval urge.

 

As a society, we talk about simplifying and returning to roots but we know we won't ever do it. We become happy with simply thinking of it while continuing our complicated lives. It is as if dreaming of it become enough for our reality. There are times when we feel trapped. The escape is to that wonderful place where the moose looks toward the cabin in its wooden setting. At least, we "know" what's right - but we also know what is practical and what benefits our loved ones.

 

Perhaps it is an exercise in futility to wonder about that scene. Yet, it never fails to touch me. Regardless of situation or mood, that scene brings me peace. I can't discount that; only try to understand it.

 

I put myself in the scene in an effort to understand. I see me tending the fire; reading by candlelight; and watching the water lap at the shore. The logistic things such as the toilet and the food supply don't come to mind. I guess I never shower when I'm fantasizing! One concept I didn't expect was the sense of peace I found from simply putting myself in that place. I've heard of "going to your happy place" but this isn't the same. The serenity is deeper; it's a more lasting sensation; not a quick fix.

 

We go through life concerned with the price of this and the availability of that. Wouldn't it be great to live a life free of those concerns? If only that; the cabin is a necessity. We all need to disengage from the complexities and find our center.

 

This isn't just a "dream" I have for people. For our emotional well-being, we have to 'break away' and discover our true feelings; the ones buried under weeks and months of "stuff" from rolling golf balls to oncoming traffic to babies' cries.

 

The layers mount, and if one doesn't "uncover," the emotions, situations and frustrations boil. Then, a meltdown of some kind is inevitable. Perhaps not too noticeable; maybe, only noticeable by family,  but "out there" in any event.

 

Even violent episodes (not psychotic), have the chance to explode on society. The news is full of them. I'm not suggesting that all of those are due to not "uncovering," but some are. I know that. If you keep it bottled up, it will blow on you some time. Anger is rarely the primary emotion in any situation; there is almost always another one driving the anger. If we keep "uncovered," we can be a more mentally/emotionally healthy person.

 

There is an idyllic scene on the wall in the men's room at my church..................