Forgive the silence from the good karma cabin. Sometimes a long pause is needed to collect one’s thoughts.

With so much happening in the world, and in our own little orbits, quiet and calm are proving to be elusive these days.

Today is the first day of my winter break and I am thankful for the bitter cold as the sun shines brightly, appreciated all the more after last night’s winter solstice. Rumi chills on the couch, heavy eyelids and droopy paws that signal true rest. He is taking the hibernal solstice to heart. This is the perfect opportunity to share cabin news and look ahead to 2024.

2023 Cabin News

For a while now, we have wanted to build a small rear addition for future laundry/bathroom. We had dropped plans off to Angelo hoping for a quick turnaround. Fools, we are. We love Angelo but he works according to a unique clock. After waiting for months (and having concerned conversations about calling authorities to do a wellness check), our beloved Angelo reappeared to announce:

1. Yes he was willing to do the work
2. He would be starting at the crack of dawn.

Dave’s screeching tires out of the driveway that night to drop off cabin keys were the sign we were back in business. Sadly, he was out of cell range when Angelo’s follow-up message was sent:

I don’t need keys, will cut hole in wall.

It is surprising what a difference this small addition has made. The cabin has gone from claustrophobic cozy to just-right. Dave spent the rest of the summer finishing the plumbing and electrical work. Rumi spent the rest of the summer reminded us both to relax – hard to do when he always seems to be lounging in my spot.

We were also able to wrangle our water witching neighbor, Mr. Early, to dig two holes for gate posts. Dave had them staked out perfectly but turned his back just as Mr. Early started up the backhoe. Dave’s plan (and fluorescent stakes) were thrown out the window. We had to add a small piece of fencing to make it work, but we now look like an official property

Stargazing Opportunities

When I get discouraged about our progress, or monitor the increasingly depressing interest rate on the cabin LOC, I call to mind the night sky at the property.

With campfire as the only source of light, the constellations and milky way play center stage and belie my descriptive abilities. One night I thought I was losing my grip on sanity when 40 Starlink satellites went cruising by. Leave it to Elon Musk to ruin a perfectly great show.

I was describing this to my hairdresser recently. She shared that she had only seen the milky way once, as a child, in Bosnia. She thought it might have been a dream. After reading The Darkness Manifesto by Johan Eklof, I realized she is one of many. Apparently children in Singapore have never seen the stars as constant illumination darkens any stargazing opportunity.

Painful Illumination

I have been thinking a lot about opportunity cost recently: what it costs, or what is given up, in order to get something. How do you account for the cost of foregone alternatives? In the past, I have bemoaned this, thinking I could have it all and a free lunch too. The cabin’s good karma constantly shines a light on my dark corners. Being realistic about the true costs of opportunities, both taken and foregone, is strangely freeing. Choice is a privilege. Costs are personal as are our selected journeys.

And that is the Good Karma Cabin wish for all of you in 2024: May life provide you with ample opportunities, the grace to accept the opportunity costs, and the wisdom to bid a peaceful adieu to the alternate paths foregone.

Much love from Karen, Dave and Rumi