Alone at Pi February 8. 2014

When I bought the land and built the home that I have come to call Almost Pi, my intention was twofold:  First, to spend weekends here with my daughter Annie, who was ten at the time, off the grid and succumbing to the slow pace of nature.  And second, as my thinking went, eventually to retire here and to share this home with a partner.  It is now almost ten years since I made this decision.  Annie with her friends, I with my friends, and together with our family, we have come and gone many times, hiking, feasting, and taking in the sunset over a glass of wine.  But Annie now lives in Seattle, the much-imagined partner has eluded me, and I spend most of my time here alone.

And though a solitary retreat wasn’t my intention, I have come to love my time here alone.  I spend the weekends reading and writing, thinking and looking, occasionally hiking or asana-ing.  I jump down to the library, if it is open, to access the web or pick up a DVD, grab a pastry at the Bovine Bakery, frequent the hardware store for supplies, browse the bookstore, or take in a concert at the Dance Palace.  But mostly, I am alone.   And really, it’s not so bad.  Cancel that: it is wonderful.