What lies ahead

   

The Power of Place

 

Lately I have been reflecting more on the power of place. It has been something of a theme for most of my adult life. Now I realize that where I am to a large degree defines who I am.

 

Two decisions in my lifetime centered around place: leaving New York City at age twenty-eight to remake my life in coastal, rural eastern Maine. There I had the good fortune of meeting my wife and then raising a family. In Downeast Maine I cultivated a garden and friendships, and became part of a community.

 

Then at age forty-nine, our family picked up and moved to Finikounda, in the southwest Peloponnese, for a one-year sabbatical. Not really knowing what to expect.

 

The similarities of both places—Downeast Maine and Messenia, Greece—are uncanny and yet often so different.

 

Maine and Messenia are largely rural, traditional, and sparsely populated places. Both sit astride an open ocean and are backed by thick forests, agricultural land, mountain landscapes, and wide open spaces. Both places have unique characters—and characters aplenty.

The word “pristine” might apply equally to rural Maine and to rural Messenia. Visitors “from away” constantly remind us of how privileged we are to exist and make our lives amid such beauty. The natural world is abundant, with a dizzying array of flora and fauna.

 

And of course there are differences galore, but many of the same problems and threats to the status quo—some enormous, others subtle.

 

Over-development, exploitation, and a fast-changing character typify rural Maine and rural Greece. 

Please go away

Primed to be wrecked by wealthy people

Both places have been “discovered,” first by the intrepid, and more recently by big money, bad attitudes, and those who carry reckless behavior like excess luggage

 

What lies ahead

 

In a little more than a week, I will return to that dysfunctional plutocracy called the United States. By all accounts, the nation is still run by the greatest body of self-serving half-wits--i.e., Congress--ever known.

Vote early and often--then off with their heads

 

I try not to dwell on this part of what lies ahead. In the days that remain, I complete various tasks on the house; visit with friends; spend time swimming, running, and strolling the village at night. I continue to meet new people—locals and foreigners alike.

 

The act of discovery and rediscovery still manages to populate my imagination.