Saturday, June 21, 2014

George Singleton recommended a night in the woods for a 'mental breather'

George 'Buster' Singleton
(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Mental breathers keep life balanced,” was originally published in the Oct. 22, 1987 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

I think one of the mistakes of our society today is that we don’t take the time to let our minds heal themselves. We become so preoccupied with ourselves that we forget that our brains have to have a breather.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but we work all day in a tense environment; then we go home, and then what do we do for relaxation? We sit for at least three or four hours each day and watch television. During this time, we witness three or four murders and at least three or four acts of rape. Then, to add to all the other troubles, we usually see a home or two broken up and always two or three families separated from each other, with a small child or two thrown to the mercy of the world. Then no evening is complete without some hanky panky between the couple next door.

All of this has become a way of life with us. This is what we expect to see. This is how we entertain ourselves.

Fantasy world in turmoil

Then we finally push away from the boob tube, and we try to get some rest. The happenings of the past few hours rest so heavy on our minds that we can’t go to sleep. Our brains are so cluttered that we have trouble remembering our children’s names. And we can’t understand why our society is going to the dogs. Our world of fantasy is in turmoil; we struggle for survival; we have no place to go to rest the mind. We turn to narcotics and to the many other things that destroy our minds for a solution. But there is nothing to be found.

But all is not in vain. There is a solution for the problems of life, and it is so close at hand. We can still turn to the healing place, just as the early Indian did. A place where the pressures of life have no meaning. A place where we can gather our thoughts and be at peace with ourselves and our surroundings. A place where we can talk to the Great Spirit and gain strength and be well.

This place that I speak of is the deep woods. A place where the tall pines grow and the quietness covers you like a blanket, and all is well with your soul.

A few simple things

When it seems that you are at the end of the rope, and the troubles of life cling to your every move, gather yourself a few simple things such as a blanket, a few items of food and a jar of water. Steal away into the deep woods, and find yourself a quiet spot. Some, like myself, might like the high country. Others might like the low, cool area along the small streams. The place can be of your own choosing.

Arrive in time to nestle down before dark. Arrange your sleeping place in the soft pine needles and wait for the shadows to creep across the evening skies. Eat just enough food to keep from being uncomfortable. Drink the plain water from the jar, and listen for the night sounds as they slowly gather around you.

Do not be afraid. There is nothing to harm you. Lie back and watch darkness close in around you like a huge curtain. Absorb your surroundings, and let the Creator of the heavens and earth heal your mind and soul. Give thanks to the Great Spirit for allowing you to be a part of his creation. Then, in the quietness of the moment, review your life. Evaluate the things that might not be in accordance with that which is right toward your fellow men. Choose the decisions that will make you a stronger person. Set forth rules of discipline that won’t allow you to do the things that will cause heartbreak and sorrow to your loved ones. Strengthen your conscience, and cast aside those things that are trivial and will make you weak.

Listen to the sounds

Then, when this is done, wrap in your blanket and listen again to the sounds that will bring on sleep and contentment. And with the coming of sleep comes the healing of the mind and the soul, and all is well and good within yourself once more.

In the morning, as the darkness is pushed gradually away with the warming rays of the rising sun, look back at the night and reaffirm that which you decided upon.

As you eat the last of the food that you brought with you, you will know that you are not alone. You will know that the Great Spirit walks with you and is forever near. And if you feel like raising your arms to the heavens, do so; the words will come.

O! Great Spirit,
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
Hear me! I am small and weak; I need your
Strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes
Ever behold the red-and-purple sunset.
Make me always ready to come to you with
Clean hands and straight eyes.
And when life fades, as the fading sunset,
My spirit may come to you
Without shame to walk with you by the
Stream that gives eternal life.
And a thousand years will be as a day’s
Passing.


(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from 1964 to 1987. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)

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