Lore
Traditions and stories, facts and fictions, a tapestry of knowledge with its origins in the anecdotes of our ancestors, evolved by our own education and experiences. Sharing the lore of our lives is a tether to our past and a unique and personal expression of our present, a part of being human.
Origins of “LakeLifeLore”
Born and raised in Nova Scotia, I’ve lived my life near bodies of water - on the banks of a river, the shores of a tidal bay, on a lake as a child and with my husband in early retirement; we dwell in a place of wetlands and streams, never more than a short distance to the wide open ocean. Water is my Element.
Walk me through the Valley, where the tides rise and fall
Sail me down the river, follow the seabird’s call
Autumn leaves, frozen streams, footprints in the sand
Lakes that paint the sky, it makes me cry - How lucky I am!
(lyric from my original song "Nova Scotia - Save a Place for Me")
It was living lakeside for a decade that inspired me to expand and rename my music website to include a more nature-focused blog. Now we live closer to town, I’m back on the river banks (full circle), but my kinship with the lakes endures. The essence of being a lake dweller in both early and later years will always be part of my life lore.
Life in the open air ~ Love for another being
Freedom from ambition ~ Creation
(Albert Camus on "The Four Conditions of Happiness")
Quiet coffee mornings, summer evenings by the fire, lazy winters, pleasant days walking on beaches or hiking forests, making music together…with companionship and solitude, we find contentment close to home. Connecting to the things we love and enjoy is life-sustaining, and it’s with deep gratitude that I find myself in a place where I can spend time on contemplation and creative works.
Take me to the lakes where all the poets go to die.
(from the song The Lakes, Taylor Swift)
We can accept and embrace the autumn of our days, even as we resist going gently into that good night. I care deeply about the fate of humanity and the planet, the meaning of living well...but I’m happy to step back and appreciate the simplicity of life whenever I can. There are always storms, waves and ripples, but there is a place where my thoughts find quiet reflection or mindful stillness, a place that I can visit anytime, by closing my eyes and imagining birdsong and loon calls, by remembering the reflections of blazing sunsets across the deep blue water of the lake. I welcome fellow travellers.
Make your heart like a lake with a calm still surface
and great depths of kindness. (Lao Tzu)
Paddle over to the Lore posts.
Listen to a song or two...