Fifth Journey Day 45: Weight of Unfinished Rooms

Date: June 22, 2025
Location: Cēsis, Latvia

Cēsis feels like a quiet place that is held in place. After Riga's urban stillness, this is a different kind of city — more open, more spacious, yet not empty. I walked through the castle ruins this afternoon. The path went up and down over rocks and boulders, taking me through arches that no longer had roofs, walls that now showed the sky instead of rooms.

The air was light and almost see-through. The breeze moved through the spaces, sometimes bending the taller grasses that had grown into the spaces that had been shaped by people. I noticed that some stones had shifted slightly out of place over time. They weren't falling, but they had shifted a bit. This showed that time was passing.

At times, the stone and the surrounding trees seemed to communicate with each other. The vertical lines of the trunks echoed the standing walls, both softened by moss and lichen. The sun's light slowly spread through the clouds, creating soft shadows and highlighting every surface.

I moved slowly and didn't feel the need to pay close attention to every detail. It was enough to let the weight of the place settle around me. The absence here is not empty. It's full of the past, but also full of quiet acceptance.

Tonight, as the breeze blows through the open window of my guesthouse room, I hear the faint sound of leaves moving and footsteps coming from the town square. The air feels slightly cool and refreshing. My body feels balanced. I'm happy to let today stay the same — simple, textured, and quietly full.