Rootedness
September 19th
I found this amazing tree and its roots in the park on the grounds of Baranow Sandomierski Castle today. I have never seen this type of root system where all individual roots form a solid singularity that seems to emerge and spill over the ground and curbstones. That tree is over two centuries old, and hopefully, it will stay there for a few centuries more — it took firm possession of this particular part of the land, it clearly defined its space there, and laid a well-grounded foundation to thrive. I think this is something that I strive for in my life since my sobriety. What I want is to be grounded and rooted in a place of my choice (and I haven’t yet found that particular place yet). I want to be rooted to several people of my choice (and learn how to prune away all toxic ones). I want to be grounded in my beliefs and ethics (so I can branch out without losing my inner moral center).
My road trip ended today, I got home after almost 8 hours of driving, so now obviously I feel very tired. Tired, but happy and content as well — the trip went better than I expected. I enjoyed the company of my mom, she was a very good partner during our travels. I’ve seen plenty of new places and sights, I learned a lot about myself and my family, ate in very good restaurants, slept well, had time to rest and think. Everything went according to plan. Even the very wet weather couldn’t dampen my spirit (get it? I feel quite puntastic today).
On the way home, we stopped for a couple of hours in Sandomierz, which is a delightful little town in south-eastern Poland. It has a rich history, it was a founding place and namesake of Duchy of Sandomierz in the 12th century and for a while rivaled Cracow as the most important city in medieval Poland. It still has this specific charm of old churches and colorful gabbled townhouses, narrow alleyways, and cobblestone streets. Another gem found on this trip.
