On one of the first days with nice weather this year, I stripped down to my pink candy-striped bathing suit, laid my plaid picnic blanket flat in the backyard, and soaked up some sun while I read (actually, re-read) Lolita — a book that challenges the reader to question whether its protagonist is “in love” or simply “insane.” 

Though I am quite short, my feet still hung off the blanket, and I could feel the grass underneath my toes. It felt so good.  

I started to think about how this was the first time my feet met the earth barefoot since last summer. All the while the birds were chirping up in the trees above and my mind trailed off in deep thoughts about another central theme of the book — the possessiveness of the protagonist … 

This happened to be one of the few days I had all to myself, and it made me think about the freedom of not having anyone to answer to — no work phone calls, no child at home, no significant other to require me to do any cooking or cleaning. In this moment, I was free to do whatever I wanted to do — and this is how I have lived most of my life — a perpetual loner.  

The story I focused most on this week has everything to do with both land and freedom and my mind began putting the pieces together that everything about being free in some way has to do with the land my foot touched in that moment.   

The main story for the week is about a celebration and (in some way) an invitation to bring people back to their native land — or perhaps, more accurately, to let them take it back. The exhibit at the Little Compton Historical Society will open later in the month, so check out that story (and that event).

A contributing writer also wrote a story about prison. While freedom is obviously a central theme, the piece focuses specifically on the right to access health care for women who are incarcerated.

It’s easy to take things like walking barefoot on the grass or having access to healthy food for granted — and all other freedoms that come along with land. These stories both shine a light on how land is tied to freedom. 

Ironically, the last story I wrote takes place on the sea, showcasing an equally important aspect of freedom: the ability to escape the busy nuances of daily life by being on the water. 

As I write this, it’s 85 degrees and sunny. I think I’ll slip back into that bathing suit and return to where this story began — my little getaway in the backyard — because, for now at least, I’m free to do so … The only question is, what book should I read? 

Michelle Mercure is editor of the East Bay Life section. Contact her for story ideas, comments, and suggestions at mmercure@eastbaymediagroup.com.