There is always light in the dark...

if you know where to find it.

Nature photo of the day: shallow water in the creek.

under the alders
the water runs
over rocks
and under others
it flows in the only direction it knows
downhill.
along the way it picks up speed
where the land is more inclined
and when it finds a bathing hole,
it sticks around and hides
to fill a space
deep enough to sit, or lay,
in the cold mountain water,
if only for a few minutes
to keep the burning sun at bay.

- Cheryl M.

This past week has been a real scorcher, at least by mountain standards. For almost ten days in a row it’s been above 30°C, some days quite a bit higher than that.

That’s mid-80’s in the F range, all the way up to 100° F tomorrow. Not that we are complaining, just stating the facts. Climate change, or not, it does change the way our simple life works.

As most of you know, we live in a two-room traditional wooden home in northern Romania. This includes 4 windows, two outlets (yes, you read that right, an outlet per room) and a front door (yes, one way in, the same way out). Our home was built in 1938, and at the time this is how most homes in the village were constructed.

We don’t have an air conditioner, don’t even own a fan. There is no running water in the house either. For that, we take a bucket outside to the faucet and fill it up. Chop wood, carry water. Live your life and repeat.

What we do have is a wood-fired stove. So now, even in the highest heat of summer, we use it in the morning to brew a coffee and cook a large breakfast - that’s OMAD on several days of the week.

Staying cool means staying in the shade, or taking a chilling bath in the creek that runs at the back of our property.

Finding the light in the dark is in knowing how to live well - sometimes without money, how to adapt and how to change your way of thinking to something more positive than you ever thought before.

The light isn’t always a way out, very often it is a way in.

We’d like to know, out of curiosity, if this is a life you would choose if you had the chance? At least for a week or two?

Journal prompt of the day:

I love cold water bathing because…

or

What’s stopping me from taking a cold shower every day? How can I remedy this situation?

We know several villagers who are afraid of the cold, and they simply cannot understand how we get in the creek in winter (amidst the snow and ice) and do not get sick or die. As it turns out, our beliefs play a huge role in when/how we get sick and why. Make sure your body knows that cold water is healthy for you in most situations, it’s not only refreshing, it can also be magically healing too.

Stay cool out there folks!