Life on the Mountain

Sometimes we all need to get away. Recharge our batteries, breathe in fresh air, and just be still.

Our favorite place to escape? Sewanee, Tennessee.

Sewanee, home of The University of the South, sits high atop a Tennessee mountain, as one Time Magazine journalist describes, “so close to heaven that undergraduates believe the institution has its own guardian angel.” As the child of two Sewanee alumna, I have been privy to the Sewanee ritual for years: when you drive out through the sandstone gates, you tap the roof of your car to summon your angel. When you return safely to campus, you tap again to release your protector. Why? Because you don’t need your angel when you’re there, of course.  

This simple act has become so ingrained in me that I do it without noticing. It is a part of Sewanee. It has become part of me.  Last weekend, my husband had to remind me to explain myself to our guests who were perplexed by my tapping gestures. As I made an attempt to share the tradition, I realized how silly I sounded. Part of the meaning and magic of Sewanee’s ritual comes from knowing and experiencing life between its gates. Like much of the Domain, it resists explanation.

It’s always a treat to share Sewanee with newcomers. Last weekend we had the pleasure of hosting a sweet couple that we are lucky to call friends AND family. The boys disappeared on various climbing excursions while the girls chatted and watched the sunset over trail mix and hot chocolate. The best part? It was real. All of it. Real conversation. Real exploration. Real friendship. In a world that has become unbearably busy and fast paced, these “real” moments provide us with that escape we need. They fuel us. They recharge us. They slow us down. We could all use a few more of these moments, don’t you think?

And Sewanee? No, it’s not the only place to experience them. You can create such moments almost anywhere. But for us, Sewanee has become a place to recharge, breathe deeply, and be still. For us - as for many - it has taken a special hold on our hearts.


Photos by Jeff Newman. Sewanee, Tennessee. July 2010.