The joy of connection,
A castle gathering.
Sometimes it doesn't feel easy to meet people,
To connect with them,
To enjoy them,
Whether it's for work,
Dating,
Or even friendships.
And this can become a self-fulfilling pattern that eventually feels like a brick wall or a swamp.
And yet,
So much vitality comes from connecting with others.
So let's take a journey to a place where it's easy to meet people,
Easy to relax,
Enjoy yourself,
Explore a little,
And try new things,
And just live life,
Really.
It's at a castle gathering.
So let's see what awaits.
Close your eyes and gently notice your breathing.
You can rest now and just follow along.
This journey will be easy and delightful.
You're on a trail in a forest,
Looking down at your feet as you take one step after the next.
There are a couple of trees gently swaying,
And you take in the smell of the forest.
It's good to be outside and just breathe.
In the distance,
A tower rises up between the trees.
It's a castle.
It's the castle that you're headed towards.
And you're soon going to get to catch up with friends and meet some people.
On either side of the trail,
You are surrounded by lush ferns and moss.
You cross a footbridge to the castle,
And under an early evening sky,
There's people gathering from all over,
And they're entering in different entrances of this ancient sandy,
Sandy colored castle.
As you get closer,
You think about the generations of people who probably lived in this castle with all their triumphs and tragedies over hundreds of years.
Now,
After a busy day,
People are just gathering to relax and enjoy each other here.
You reach a dark wooden door,
And as you open it,
You hear some light fiddle music wafting from above.
You follow the winding stone staircase up to the main floor,
And it's lit by flickering candlelight.
Kind of old-fashioned.
As you ascend,
You already smell something delicious.
That's baking.
And there's even a hint of smokiness from a fireplace nearby.
You pause and look at what you're wearing this evening,
And it just is something that feels like you.
When you reach the main floor hallway,
You see groups of people,
Small groups of people,
Standing and chatting amidst old tapestries that depict old stories that are draped on either side of the hall.
And there are wooden tables filled with fruits and cheeses.
The smells get even more delightful as you make your way to the central hall,
Which is a large room with decorative windows that shine light onto tables covered with bottles of wine and water,
Olive breads,
Nut breads,
Sauces of all kinds,
Chocolates,
Berries,
And other treats.
You see that someone has even made hibiscus sorbet,
A rich pink cool dessert served in little glasses.
A large punch bowl has a bronze-colored beverage,
And when you try it,
It's citrusy,
Sweet,
And a little bit bitter.
On the other side of the room,
You see some dear friends.
And you wander over to them and give everybody a hug,
And you find out that they're talking about an upcoming concert they all want to go to.
You hang out and share some stories,
And you also notice that there are all kinds of people coming in to this central space.
People who do all kinds of things and are interested in all kinds of things and have all kinds of backgrounds.
They might do everything from driving a bus to teaching a class to coding a website or baking bread and everything in between.
Some people dressed up,
Some didn't,
But everyone just seems to relax here when they arrive.
There's a definite vibe.
This place has been the site of many similar gatherings where people just come in and just let their hair down.
And every time you arrive,
You just seem to forget any stresses of the day pretty quickly.
Your friend tells you a story about her second grade students,
And you appreciate the old wood floorboards around you and some stone carvings above each window.
At some point,
You hug your friends again and wander over to a group of people in overalls and plaid for the most part.
You think you recognize one of them and introduce yourself to everyone.
It turns out a few of them are local farmers,
And you saw them at a farmers market nearby.
They share how the season has been going,
And you enjoy getting all the dirt,
So to speak.
A couple of fiddle players strum out an old tune,
And it reminds you of a simple life without screens.
You smile in spite of yourself and enjoy the light on the walls as it flickers from the chandeliers.
And you take another sip of your drink.
When you wander over to a window,
You see a courtyard garden.
There's a fountain,
A couple of stone benches,
And a well-maintained bunch of shrubbery.
You wonder who's in charge of all that.
Soon,
It's time to explore the castle beyond this room.
In the entrance hall,
When you leave,
There's a bunch of soccer players in uniform,
And they're discussing an afternoon game over beer.
And you can tell by their triumphant looks they probably won their match.
You also pass a man carrying a platter of peaches,
And you grab one,
And it turns out to be perfectly sweet and juicy.
Large oil portraits hover on a wall,
Right where a group of entrepreneurs are exchanging ideas about market research.
You know one of them.
Say hello,
And hang out and listen for a few minutes.
At some point,
They all toast a buddy because of a recent accomplishment.
When you leave,
You see a little table with elderberry soda and small glasses,
And you fill one up and start to enjoy.
At the end of this wide hallway,
There are some people doing yoga,
Some people are reading poetry to each other,
While others sit on couches just taking it all in.
Maybe some old friends are catching up,
Others are meeting for the first time,
And some are just taking a breather to just be.
As the evening darkens,
The candlelight grows more orange on the walls.
There is no pressure to socialize here.
You could sit in a chair by yourself,
And no one would even blink an eye.
You make your way to the second floor,
Where there is a room where people are discussing a multidisciplinary book of history.
On the walls are medieval paintings of animals,
And you head over to one of the light blue velvet couches to join these folks.
There's a small black dog that runs out from beneath the couch as you share perspectives of this book with a history professor here and everyone else who's avid,
Who's just an avid reader.
The conversation pops back and forth between everyone,
With folks nodding their heads and asking incisive questions.
It seems like some of them know each other.
The conversation is just really easy,
And at moments everyone pauses,
Looks at each other,
And then laughs out loud at once.
It's fun and you also appreciate remembering some of the book that you'd forgotten because it's been a while since you read it,
And you can just tell people enjoyed reading it and learning new things.
Eventually,
You get up and say goodbye and make your way down a couple flights of stairs to the lush courtyard garden.
Here you take a break on a stone bench and look up at a couple constellations in the now darkened sky.
The manicured trees dampen most of the sound,
So it's pretty peaceful,
Even with a couple people in the balcony above you.
Can you take a moment here to just be?
There are soft sounds of people talking in rooms inside with glasses clinking and somebody playing classical piano.
The air is cool and soft,
And a little breeze is picking up.
After a while,
Someone in an ornate top hat enters the courtyard.
You smile at the feathers and pins on the hat,
And this person joins you on the bench.
They share how they've been cast in a Victorian play and the hat is helping them step into character a little bit.
You both agree that hats would have been the most comfortable clothing Victorians wore aside from their socks.
This person points out elements in the garden that would have been included in the late 19th century British garden.
You hear coyotes croon in the distance,
You think,
Just over the castle wall and you're glad you're in the garden.
After you both chat about sanitation in early London,
You decide to be on your way.
Rising to leave,
You nod and touch your fingers to a pretend hat before heading for the entry.
You make your way up three flights of spiral stone stairs,
Passing narrow windows where you can just make out tall trees outside.
When you reach your floor,
You follow a narrow hallway,
Past lit candles,
And there's a woman to your right who's seated in a window alcove.
She's gazing at something outside,
A little transfixed as her linen skirt drapes over her chair.
She turns and smiles at you,
And she seems familiar somehow.
You can't explain it,
But you have a sense of well-being around her and it wouldn't surprise you if she were up here issuing blessings upon this place,
Upon this gathering in some way.
She seems completely at peace up here by herself.
And yet she's probably up to something.
Whatever it is,
Maybe it's why the usual fears,
Reservations,
Awkward moments all inexplicably dissolve in this castle.
You continue down the hall,
Where wall paintings emanate turquoise,
Orange,
Deep pink,
And all kinds of other colors.
Carvings above the windows show painstaking attention to detail,
With little creatures and gargoyles hovering above.
Then you find your way to a larger room where a group of five magical artists sing in pure tones as a couple dozen people perch in couches and lounge chairs facing them.
It gives you the chills as they chant their hauntingly medieval music.
You make your way to an old embroidered couch at the edge of the room where you can overlook a dark forest below,
And there's an ornate manuscript on a nearby table and you grab it so you can enjoy it as you keep listening to the beautiful music.
It turns out to be Latin and ornately laid out.
You notice some depictions of medieval rabbits,
Some with daggers in fact.
When the singers take a break,
A few people are talking about tacos.
You follow them since you're getting hungry.
You all descend to the lower level and enter a cavern where there's a table covered with all kinds of toppings.
Meats,
Avocados,
Roasted cauliflower,
Brussels sprouts,
Sauces,
Cheeses,
Guacamole,
And charred tortillas,
Of course.
A woman with long braids wrapped around her head is showing how to make the sauces and pair them with certain toppings.
A couple people challenge each other to make the better taco.
You assemble a couple of them with these sauces and start munching away.
As people eat and chat,
Somebody mentions that there is a kid's treasure hidden on the main floor,
Which has yet to be discovered.
And of course the kids get excited and start asking their parents to go upstairs.
Someone else describes a practical joke someone played on an old friend on the second floor.
Apparently it had been months in the making.
Everyone has this almost giggly demeanor.
It's just one of those evenings.
Good food,
A bit of silliness,
The beauty of this place and each other.
As you listen to people,
You ponder how much fun it would be to leave little treasures in the hallways,
Under tables,
Behind plants,
On the forest trails,
Anywhere really.
Somebody mentions that there's an archaeologist giving a talk a couple floors up.
And you say goodbye to a couple new friends and make your way up the stairs to go listen to him.
A few people are huddled around a table looking at a few metal artifacts,
While a man with an impressive mustache explains why these bronze age artifacts are surprising for this part of the world.
A cat nestles in the window alcove behind the table,
Looking like he's waiting for everyone to leave and stop bothering him.
Maybe he lives here.
You end the evening back in the main hall with your friends.
You feel full,
Having met all kinds of people,
Learned all kinds of things,
Enjoyed some art,
Some music.
It's just so great to be with people.
You can't wait to return and share perspectives with people,
Eat delicious food and listen to others.
This is a good way to live.
