We spent a lot of time helping to load cars. It’s always sad when the first large group of campers leave. It seems that school is starting earlier and running longer for so many now. My parents, on the other hand, don’t mind if I miss a few days at the beginning or end of the school year, so long as their summer road trip is not impacted. Personally, I don’t mind ending the school year early. The last few weeks of school can get really boring. I’d rather be at summer camp.
I went to the meditation garden after supper. It’s different at dusk. It’s hard to explain, but it’s as if it relaxes and says, “aaahhh.” Then’s there’s the difference in the light. You never really see the sun in the garden, but the brightness changes. Just before twilight, the pavilions sort of glow. It’s not as intense as the glow spells we put on rocks and stuff, but brighter than it should be.
The most interesting thing, though, is the floor of the pavilion. In normal daylight, it’s just a normal, marble floor, beautiful, white. When the light fades, symbols appear. The best part is that what is displayed on the floor is different in every pavilion. So if you can read the symbols, you don’t have to have detailed maps and notes to know where you are in the maze.
I carefully copied the symbols for each pavilion I visited into my notebook along with my navigation notes. I don’t understand the language yet, but it seems to be a code that explains where each pavilion is in relation to every other. That’s really useful information.
When Miss Porter introduced us to the meditation garden, why did she bring us in during the day instead of the evening?
Dusk really is special. It feels like the day finally loosens its collar, exhales, and admits it has done enough. The light softens, the noise settles, and for a few minutes the whole world seems willing to sit quietly without demanding anything from us.
You captured that peaceful in between feeling beautifully. I have always loved dusk because it makes even an ordinary backyard look as though it knows a secret. Thank you for reminding me to stop, look up, and enjoy the sky before darkness clocks in for the night.