This year is the centenary year of the poet Dylan Thomas’s birth.  The Welsh poet lived his last 4 years in Laugharne, Wales before he died in 1953 at the young age of 37. The author of “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”, the work he was probably most known for, walked the coastal paths of Wales often in his lifetime. He was also a fairly good amateur painter.

Paths follow the coastline in Wales.

Last summer we visited this part of Wales, and I walked the coastal paths that Thomas so eloquently wrote about.  His themes of life vs. death, our desire to stop time, and nature as an expression of our internal world all are vividly evident in this dramatic countryside.

“Coastal Path”, pastel drawing by me from my walk in Wales

I tend to have a cheerier view of Wales (and life) than he did.  The sunny lanes and cool breezes off the sea were invigorating and delightful for a fair weather traveler.

Entering Wales.

But the isolated area must have given Thomas many hours of deep reflection about our desire to slow the progression of time, and contemplation of the idyllic vs. reality.

Wales may just be the place to have these monumental conversations with ourselves.