From Beirut to the Berkshires

I would’ve never believed that after years of living in Beirut, Lebanon, one of the most fanciful countries in the Middle East, which from my childhood unfortunately has been the battleground of religious warfare, civil wars and street gunfights, that I would somehow be transported to a magical place, somewhere in the southern skirts of the Berkshires, and settle down right in this beautiful town called Lakeville.

My journey, starting from the roads of Beirut to the breathtaking landscapes of the Berkshires, might seem like it was a magical tour. But in reality to reach my final destination I have had to travel through unknown paths, at times, bewildered and not sure where I would end up and not knowing if I would ever find my final destination and call it home.

There were moments of uncertainty and adventure. Lots of soul searching and struggle and phases of trial and error and at the end, it was pure luck! Now, I can’t even describe my joy when instead of listening to the alarming sound of an approaching bomb I am hearing the innocent bark of the neighbor’s dog, and when the blast of a building is replaced by the relaxing sounds of a wind chime coming from the backyard.

But I guess when you had a traumatic childhood where every minute of the day was consumed by a constant sense of fear, insecurity about what the next day would bring, total unpredictability about the future and ongoing street fights that always ended up with someone being shot to death, it is very hard to suddenly let go of all those deep-rooted feelings and emotions and walk around like Prince Charming in the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty and expect life will be all roses and rainbows.

And of course the news from all around the globe is not helping me to enjoy my newly found relief from tragic acts taking place at this very moment. From the bombardments and killings of innocent people in Ukraine, to most recently the ongoing skirmishes between Israelis and Palestinians and right here in our own country when a man opens fire inside the State Ballroom Studio and kills 10 people on the Lunar New Year’s Eve, makes us accept a reality that is far from being safe and secure. Our days are filled with, simply said, bad news. Just imagine that there were 40 mass shootings so far in this year. It is almost unfathomable to think about how one can survive, go through everyday tasks and carry on normal conversation, enjoy nature and the wonderful landscapes, the lakes and the brooks we are surrounded by when so many tragic events are taking place right around the corner.

And this is when I feel that a whole lifetime of my journey from Beirut to the Berkshires was not a journey at all. It was just a  long and endless walk going nowhere. And after miles and miles of traveling and crossing oceans and changing passports, I have as the saying goes, “spun my own wheels”, ending up in the same place I have started.

Now, as I look around, and witness all the atrocities being committed here and all over the world, I come to the conclusion that the cliche is true:  history repeats itself. And that we as humans are simply thrown into the center of a cyclone or heading to nowhere in particular other than causing harm and destruction to each other. Oh, by the way, speaking of history, pretty soon, depending on what state you live in, your history might be very much different from what we thought was our collective history.

This is when, as I was on one of my regular walks during warmer times on the rail trails of Lakeville, I thought that watching the trees and listening to the birds might provide the only relief I can hope for. And for sure it is much more pleasant than hearing the sounds of falling bombs, to hear the enchanting high-pitched peeps and full-throated croaks of the frogs from the neighboring ponds.

This is when a lady walking just a few feet away from me told me, “You know sir, the sounds that the frogs are making are calls for mating.” Oh, mating. What’s that? Mating. What a great idea. That might be something to consider. And that’s when I thought that yes, one of the most important things I learned from moving to the Berkshires, is that yes, I should listen to the frogs more often, because, oh those silly frogs, they make lots of noise, but they do have all the answers and they do know how to live.

Varoujan Froundjian is a digital artist and writer. He can be reached at: varlink3050@gmail.com.