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"If I have freedom in my love, 
And in my soul am free,  
Angels alone that soar above, 
Enjoy such liberty." 
- Richard Lovelace

 I memorized this poem in high school. I remember our teacher emphasizing the idea of being free in our minds even when we aren't free in reality. That really touched me and I have often brought that poem to mind in the ensuing years, decades, whenever I was in a situation and wished to be in another. Yesterday some friends and I were talking about whether we ought to forget the past--as is often advised in Buddhist tradition--or whether we should remember it to learn from it. And, I would add this morning, to savor it.

 Not that I am currently in any kind of "prison." It's just that this morning I have been remembering, thanks to posts of photos of Dunmore East by my friend Erica. Ireland and the U.K. have been hit with two wild winter storms over the past two days. With the result that Dunmore is currently blanketed in snow:
Nigel in the snow, photo courtesy of Erica Martin

Dunmore East is at a standstill, everything closed except for William Power's Centra shop, bless him. I don't know if he has anything left to sell (any of those wonderful French croissants there Willie?) but Erica says he is open. He hopefully would still have some coal and logs. It would be the only way we would get through the day in reasonable warmth. Although I am sure we would have the radiators going these past few days, regardless of cost.

I miss our cottage, freezing though I know it would be. But I can enjoy Erica's photos and as I type this, I am listening to one of RTE Lyric's (Irish National Radio Station, similar to PBS) concerts from Dublin. There is a video feed as well so it is really like being there. So blessed to have Internet feeds, it truly does open a world of freedom.

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