Walking in Circles by Jeanne Bouza Rose
Walking in Circles
….Jeanne Bouza Rose
I was late getting the old body going again
this morning. With each glance out the
window, I thought, no need to rush. It
is throwing down the rain and the wind is whipping it around. It is another day when raindrops hit the face
like pointy icicles.
My feet dragged. I would have moved faster
if I saw the sun, or if the dog became desperate. Finally, I simply summoned
the courage to brave the elements and stick to this one habit—circling the
stones.
Luckily, there was a bit of sun in the back
garden, but unluckily an ominous grey-blue sky out the front path. But I put
one foot in front of another and kept walking to the car. My dog and I would head to the Ring of
Brodgar, the UK’s third largest stone circle and henge, no matter what.
THE ROOT OF THE IDEA
Why was I braving the elements? With the
lessening of the lockdown and with fewer responsibilities, I started painting
outdoors in June 2020. Always, I choose
the best days of sun, blue sky, and no wind.
Then the weather turned. By late October, I
was sitting in my car below the Ring of Brodgar trying to paint the sky without
painting the inside of my car. The wind and cold had quickly squashed my idea
of working outside. With seven days to go before the USA elections, I realized
I had the good fortune to be in Orkney away from political mayhem and rampantly
spreading COVID. But I wanted to do something to make at least a small
difference.
Was possible I might be the only American
living in Orkney that would think to do something? With a glance back up at the
Ring and the sun glinting on the stones, I realized I had to use the standing
stones at the Ring of Brodgar. The Ring has been a strong influence in getting
me to Orkney. But over the years and with the inflow of tourists, I had become
an infrequent visitor to the iconic site.
I decided to walk it every day.
THE PLAN
It would be perfect. I could walk my dog,
let her smell all the rabbits and hares she wanted, and think deeply. I created a simple mantra that I hoped would
stay in my mind as I circled the stones. The idea thrilled me. I would move
around a ring where 6,000 years ago, other people had done the same. My steps and thoughts would be a connection
to my family and friends across the Atlantic where there was so much
disharmony, radicalization, and worry.
On the 25th of October, the day
after the idea was hatched, serendipity happened. I saw the Scottish Ranger, Elaine opening the
gate as if to allow us to get socially distant closer for a catch-up. She smiled broadly and announced that the
gates were now open to the Orkney public!
For the past two years, this gate and fencing have prevented normal access
to the inside of the ring. The stones were blocked from being touched. But now
I could. My smile went from outside to
inside for my crazy idea had just been, in a way, sanctioned. Touching, walking, and reciting. A perfect plan.
THE ACTION
It took a few days to get the pace and the
words in place. I stumbled over both.
Eventually the words got so stuck in my head that even when my thoughts
wandered or when I stopped for photos, I could sense their ever-present
hum.
Walking the Ring started as a political
intention. The USA election ended, but
the strife did not. My mantra had been
chosen to highlight the philosophy that things get worse before they get
better: “The worse has come, so let it be done. Protect friends and family. Let
goodness, hope and gratitude prevail. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” So, I
did not lose hope, but kept at it, past the election day—through all the
strife.
PAINTING ALLOWED
The mid-November weather turned
extraordinarily warm and still. This gave me the idea that I could add to my
plein air paintings. Without any visitors around, I managed a number of outdoor
paintings sitting in and around the Ring.
I have been painting small, so I think there are nearly twenty paintings
from November alone. I usually painted
more than one small work each of the seven days before November 3. I sat at the
four cardinal directions focused on the corresponding set of stones. I have an idea to use these for my 2021
calendar “The Ring Sings Hope in 2021.”
Winter finally arrived in December. The
painting outside ceased, but the strife across the ocean did not. A habit had been born and well, that
election still wasn’t settled. The worse
was and is still happening, and still things had not gotten much better. So, I walked in the seventy mph gales in
early December, and the rain just blew off of me. The grass around the stones
blew around them like a visible tornado.
WEATHER GODS
Up until now, I have missed only three days.
Each skipped day found me at a loss, for now, I crave the daily drive up and
over the hill out of Stromness with the chance to see the seals or otters and
swans. My dog still needs a walk and
loves the rabbit warrens around the Ring. And mostly, despite days of rain, my
walk has fit between the showers, and I have not yet been soaked!
Serendipity still happens. Today I figured
the weather was changing so swiftly that I would just have to get wet. Yet, as I drove up and parked, the sun
appeared, and my entire “RingWalk” was in sun.
When
I entered, I saw across the Ring, a partial rainbow. By the time I finished the
Ring walk, the complete HUGE rainbow hovered over the Harry Loch. It seemed to
confirm my daily habit and hopes. It certainly helped me get past the news of
the insurrection at the US Capital on the 6th of January. But I kept
my hope in check, because as I walked down to the car a big grey cloud raced
behind me. Surely it was going to dump in seconds.
I didn’t rush, but I made it to the car. As
I turned the key, the heavens opened, and I smiled and thanked the weather gods
for the rain being held off, rainbows ignited, and hopes coming true!
SUCCESS!
I have heard some people say, “Covid is the
beginning of the end.” But I think my mantra may have begun its work. It has had some bumps and invasions of ill
will, but there was a peaceful inauguration in the USA. Folks all over are getting vaccines. Just
maybe, the ending of the worse is in progress?
Ultimately, I chose to do something at the
Ring of Brodgar because I could, and the habit got me to get up and go outside
each morning. Sometimes, it takes staying still to get a 360-degree view of a
familiar place. You might be the only one with that view. It doesn’t have to be pretty or ancient. It could be an outside view or an inside one
from your most comfy chair. It could be looking at a special object or out of
your window. The important thing is
creating time in your day to mull over words that fit for you.
EXPANSION
My friends in Kilbarchan told their friend,
a housebound single woman about my activity. She decided to join me and now is
doing some laps in her house. As she moves she imagines the stones as she
circumnavigates her floors. I know that
when there is a will, there is a way. We all have the time now, and we don’t
have many “ways” to choose from. But surely there is something you could do to
add the power of your mantra to mine.
Say the words that will mean something for
you and the world. Push more positive thoughts into the atmosphere. A routine focused on a better world, a habit
so you don’t forget, and a modicum of wonder might get us all to a better place.
At the very least, it may just give you a reason to get up in the morning and
know that you are making a difference.
http://www.artworksoftheearth.com/
http://www.jeannebouzarose.me/
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