Transitioning from living in a Southern post-disaster urban environment below sea level to a Northern rural environment in the hills is disorienting even to the most adaptable person. I compare the sense impressions I used to take in to the ones I take in now. I'll use the Buddhist epistemological framework (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind) for this demonstration...
Eyes - Old = a moldy, boarded-up house across the street that continued to sit empty more than 2 years after the flood; New = a bucolic field with a small pond and a tree-filled mountain in the distance
Ears - Old = The sounds of construction (power tools, workers and stressed out homeowners yelling at each other); New = birds singing, bullfrogs groaning, and lots of quiet
Nose = Old = the indescribable New Orleans funk that takes on new dimensions as the temperature, humidity and wind levels change; New = the smell of the forest
Tongue = Old = fattening fried food; New = vegetarian restaurants with local organic ingredients (I've got to drive a few miles to get to these places)
Body - Old = Sweaty, sweaty, sweaty; New = Doesn't take much to get my heart rate up, just walk down the hill and back to the mailbox
Mind - Old = Pissed off (no parking spots, bad government, pot holes destroying my car) New = Serenity
Okay, it's not really quite so clear cut (good and bad) like that. In reality, the jasmine in the springtime in New Orleans softly wafts across the city while the azaleas knock you out with their beauty. As for here, driving in the wintertime will not be much fun and one of the most highly taxed states (NY) can't balance its budget. At any rate, the photograph here is of a hiking trail in the woods about 5 minutes from my house...
The path before you
Is the same path you just came from
Turn around and you will see yourself
Look ahead and you can glimpse your real soul
Stand still and the whole universe is one
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