In “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,” Annie Dillard writes, “Self-consciousness, however, does hinder the experience of the present. It is the one instrument that unplugs all the rest.”
She goes on to write that it is our very self-consciousness that separates us from each other, from God, from our self. It keeps us from living in the present moment and living unfiltered experience.
These photos are an homage to the spaces where our souls feel free, the places where we can still ourselves and simply be. They are places where we can put down our hard work and feel at one with ourselves in each moment. Places where deeply meaningful things have happened in our lives and where deeply meaningful people have come into our lives. They are spaces absent of self-consciousness. They are meaningful. They are sacred.
Here, five women from Southeast Missouri share their places of sacredness. Let’s allow beauty to help us realize the sacredness of the spaces we inhabit, and the sacredness of our very selves.
Merci Green
The Plant Lady’s Corner
It is wonderful to walk into a shop and immediately be welcomed by the lush foliage and unique plants. This place is a green haven for our downtown, and darling to me. Anywhere plants grow, so does my patience and peace of mind. I cherish time spent cultivating and watching plants flourish. Being connected to the earth and God’s creation is very sacred to me.
Clothes: Vintage ‘99 in Cape Girardeau
