Too Much Of A Good Thing?

Serenity and tranquility  - can  we ever have too much?  Last week we went to southern Indiana for a couple of days - stayed at the Clifty Falls Inn in Clifty Falls State Park.  Very nice - a pool, hot tub, balcony overlooking the Ohio river with tugs and barges on the go 24/7. Oh - and then queue in the numerous hawks circling, letting the wind currents lift them higher and higher before showing off in front of our balcony - just because they can.   Serene indeed - not to mention walks (hobbles) to the various falls for which the park is named…sparkling sun on the falling water, roaring and tumbling and canyons full of so many shades of green that even Crayola couldn’t keep up.  So what’s the problem?   Aside from the fact that my knee kept me from actually hiking, hobbling, yes - hike, no, it was a relaxing couple of days.  But my brain was on shut down.  No creative spark to write, no desire to do too much, ( eat, nap and read the latest novel) which is ok.  It’s called rest. And Sabbath. And that’s ok - but it was almost as if my mind had gone numb from too much of a good thing - too much tranquility and serenity.

Too much of a good thing makes us (me) complacent - with no push - no shove -  no desire to DO.  Unless you call sitting and watching the hawks doing.  Unless you call admiring the handiwork of God doing.  Unless you call the over-indulgent cupcake at 2:00 in the afternoon doing!! (there actually is a store in Madison, In. that sells nothing but gourmet cupcakes!)  Unless you call leisurely dinners and breakfast at the local café doing….

But no sooner did I get home than my brain started to go into overdrive thinking about all the things that ‘needed’ doing……………   So maybe the answer is no - there is no such thing as too much serenity and tranquility because I think we instinctively know when we have had enough and the memories of those quiet times will carry us through to the next adventure in not doing……………….or the lure of the triple chocolate Oreo cupcake sends us on another mission……………!
(photo courtesy of www.in.gov)