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Notes from Land's End:Jan.17

January: The month of solitude

The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. ~Voltaire

“The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude.” ~Voltaire

Jay Critchley’s 27th Annual Re-Rooters Ceremony was a wonderful ritual for the mind, body and soul. A journey into the Theater of the Absurd (Dada), Jay takes a Christmas tree on a small raft into the ocean by the flats on 6A near the Cape Inn, Provincetown. He starts with a procession in one very funky hat, begins chanting and delivering proclamations. People can bring things to burn: a thesis, diaries, painful letters and cigarettes were some of the offerings to the Gods of cleansing.

I was in the middle of a cleanse (organic apple juice, no food) at the time and mildly crunched my car getting to the event, so high on detoxification that I left the vehicle in drive and stepped out of it. Madrone of Blu Day Spa witnessed this and suggested that I join his meditation group led by acupuncturist Madir Sundays at 3pm.

Dana Dunham

My passenger, printmaker Thorton Hunter, got to the event in one piece and joined the eclectic crowd; Melford Hamilton, the greatest of sailors, Eric Williams, reporting on the event for Capecast, Maria of Tea Dance bartender fame and the ethereal cabbie Rosemary. I led the singing portion of the ceremony, a song created by Critchley to the melody of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. We all watched the tree burn and let go of worrisome, worn out thoughts.

And so it begins. January is the month of solitude. Provincetown’s dark nights, grey days and empty streets give us the opportunity to explore our minds, bodies and souls. It can be heaven or hell to spend a lot of time with oneself, depending on where your life is at. What can do we do on the Outer Cape to embrace our solitude?

1. Get a counselor. Gosnold is right here in town. Just call already.
2. Go to a meeting. AA and Alanon are alive and well on the Outer Cape.
3. Visit the library and open your mind to the books, recordings and films available for FREE.
4. Shop. Macy’s is having sales. Even if you’re broke, it’s free to try on clothes and sample perfume until you smell like a bordello. What fun!
5. Practice yoga. There are classes everywhere.
6. Start a journal. Why not?
7. See the sunset on Herring Cove. 20 or so cars line up daily to witness this miracle of nature.

Sooner than we know, it will be Memorial Day and these days of solitude will be a distant memory.

www.jaycritchley.com
www.gosnold.org
www.aa.org
www.ptownlib.com
www.macys.com
www.quotegarden.com

Artistic bon vivant Laura Shabott loves to write about Provincetown. A graduate of the SMFA, Boston, she is practiced in writing, acting and painting.