Old Barn

Here’s this week’s reflection. I hope it resonates with you and ask that, if you enjoyed, please comment and share on your social media. Heartfelt thanks for all your support!

Keeping the light on for you,

Carol

The glare of day dissipates as I enter the barn’s comfortable embrace. Wings overhead softly undulate toward a niche of protected calm in the timber frame of her ample underbelly. Feathers aloft in cool, fragrant air propagate the perfume of freshly steamed hay, tanned leather, equine musk, old wood, and Mother Earth. Muffled hooves and dove call sift through hand hewn stalls and plaits of sunlight from aging, wavy panes festooned with frilly arachnid lace. Her confidentiality, like her fortitude, stands witness to the cycles as earth is tilled, livestock nurtured, and life brought forth and laid to rest.  

Dogs softly pad by to claim a stack of horse blankets for an afternoon nap. Eager mousers, cats lay in waiting on stealthy paws, flicking ears attuned to the sneaky hush of field mice. Life pauses here, allowing those lucky enough to visit a chance for deep breaths and profound peace.

This one hundred sixty year-old Grand Dame has cradled birth and death, humor and sorrow, anger and grace in her bosom. Her patina of age belies her continued service and strength. Her custodians hail from a land of reverence for aging domiciles, accepting architecture as it is, as it wants to be. Disrepair is simply part of the dwelling’s persona; stewardship keeps the Grand Gal moving forward to preserve her legacy. Cared for in this way, she continues to reciprocate with unconditional love for man and beast. I am grateful for the work ethic of her dedicated keepers in our modern throw-away world.

Her generous girth commands presence in the county where she was built and remains matriarch. Her foundation is formidable, yet softly hued. Her interior is sectioned privately and communally, fostering deep breaths and affectionate hugs. She is a regal mother; her open doors offering a wide smile and enduring sentiment: “Come on in and stay a while.”

Every time I enter this Eden, it reminds me from whence I came. A little girl’s excitement on her first pony ride. An anxious, awkward teenager overcoming fears. An older woman navigating grief. All in a setting that refuses to judge and permits life to unfold as it may, the rhythm of a curry comb upon equine flesh channeling the wisdom of the ages. She is unpretentious, raw, and proud. Her silo leaks sometimes, yet she shoulders the duties and the weather of change. And while an occasional creak of her timber may hint at fatigue (and character), her countenance refuses to give in to the land.

Despite her stern façade, she can still kick up her heels with a spirited barn dance. Showers of swirling lights soften her trusses and sprinkle her floors with youthful magic. In this enchanting glow her features relax and sway. Her heavy framework becomes flirtatious as music plays and couples swing to the rhythm of love. But as quickly as she frolics, she returns to attention, shelters the vulnerable, bends an ear, and rides herd on the cantankerous. If an occasional scuffle has feathers flying, hooves clattering, and goats bleating, her whitewashed firmness remains a powerful antidote for strife, her cool walls tempering both the heat of day and the fire of discord. 

I am grateful to live in a state that unabashedly reveres these agricultural gems and celebrates their vibe and sense of purpose. Old barns are grounding and peaceful. They distill what is truly important: shelter, nourishment, and camaraderie. And this Old Gal ticks all the boxes. She is perfectly imperfect, making no apology for creaks, leaks, cobwebs, or exposed pipes, and allows her visitors to be the same. She needs no introduction and is magnificent just as she is. 

The next time you pass an “old and tired” barn, I invite you to think beyond the walls. Consider attributing words such as “beautiful and faithful” to a building that may appear exhausted from years of service. Admire the restored, of course. And be grateful for them all.