Tag Archives: Life

Around Here April Edition

Posted on by
10

Around here things are starting to settle down after a few months of not feeling settled at all. It’s part of my annual life cycle but one I’m never completely prepared to face. To add insult to injury, a volunteer commitment turned busy, stressful, and strangely enlightening for a few months.

Things are better now.

Around here, Spring has sprung. My lilacs are blooming and the landscape is greening up. At the moment, it’s breezy and 54 degrees with a gorgeous blue sky.

Around here I’m slowly catching up on chores that were ignored in favor of restful things during busy times. In fact, it has been a good season for reading and for that I’m grateful. I have made decent progress working through my TBR piles.

It is time, though, to get some stuff done. So far I have meandered from one thing to another but probably need to make a list and stick to it.

Things here will be in turmoil for a while, though, because I’m having some work done in my master bath. I don’t mind because the results will be so nice. Eventually.

Around here I’m trying to figure out some adventures close to home and to maybe expand my horizons some. I need to drive new roads and see new things .

Around here, I’m retooling my eating once again, this time embracing an anti inflammatory way of living and trying to figure out what that can look like in my daily living. Good nutrition can relieve pain and other issues but the American diet is not centered on things meant to soothe and nourish our bodies.

I need to do some more research before my next grocery trip.

Around here, things are improving. The above picture is my current view. Scout is asleep in the sunshine, just a few feet outside the frame and it’s not such a bad view.

Around here, I remind myself that as the sun rises and sets every day, we too are given the opportunity to start again every day.

How will you start again today, tomorrow, and all the days after that?

Still Here

Posted on by
3

Greetings, friends. I just wanted to pop in and say I’m still around even if I haven’t been present here for some time. My days are currently more mentally taxing than normal and the thought of writing even one more paragraph feels like too much most of the time.

This is a season and not a permanent way of life even though it does feel like it will never end.

My No Spend Challenge kept me mostly at home, resting, reading and turning inward this winter. That’s officially done now but I unofficially haven’t changed much. It’s an act of self preservation at this point but Adventure Season will start in about six weeks and I’m looking forward to it. There are several day trips I would like to take, some new-to-me bookstores and diners and maybe some longer adventures too.

Life will eventually return to normal and I’ll get back on some kind of writing schedule here too. I actually have a ton of travel stories to tell you from last fall but simply haven’t had the mental energy to do it.

Last November I announced that I wanted to hike as much as possible this winter. I had big plans for hitting the local trails.

And then reality set in.

The weekends were too harsh for hiking with frigid temperatures, icy trails and hazardous road conditions that kept us away. Then the snow melted into mud and ice. And then the wind moved in, making it unsafe to be under trees where a falling limb could land on your head at anytime. And then the rain came, ushering in a period of flooding.

Such is life in Ohio.

I did get to walk the Moonville Rail Trail a few weekends ago and then made it to a nearby trail at Old Man’s Cave in the Hocking Hills yesterday.

Fresh air and a good stretch of the legs will change your outlook on life.

The wind is back today but it’s about 65 degrees right now so I turned off the heat and opened a few windows to air out the house.

Sunday is always a reset day for me. Laundry, a little food preps and some small chores help to make the week go more smoothly. Some rest, reading and lots of hydration will help me feel like facing it.

I like habit and routine to keep me honest. I like adventure days for keeping me happy and fulfilled. I also believe in listening to my body and mind and in giving them what they need especially when in a season of challenges.

Through it all Scout has remained my steadfast companion and perhaps the only one in my life with no demands other than dinner and no judgement of me except when dinner is late.

We all need someone like that in our lives!

Go forth and adventure when you can. Dream of better days when you can’t and remember that rest is importantly to feeling well enough to face your day.

I’ll be here taking it easy and gearing up for better days!

Around Here: Back Home Edition

Posted on by
6

Around here, I am freshly back from vacation and barely acclimating. I’m not one to rest well when I travel nor do I allow myself a lot of time to just breathe. If I’m going to the trouble of traveling someplace, I want to enjoy that place and see as much as possible. Then I was in hurry up and wait mode as air travel felt like more like a chore than a luxury this time.

So I came home tired, jet lagged and possibly fighting off a cold or something worse.

I slept about fifteen hours last night. While I regret missing so much of this day, I am glad to wake up feeling much better and less like knocking on death’s door.

Around here, the colors are muted, the sky is dull and it is chilly. It’s the perfect day to lollygag with a book and cat and to piddle around the house, putting things back in order. Dishes are done, the bedsheets are drying, and the bed is airing out while it waits to be made up.

It’s also a good day for soup. I found a recipe to try but I’m going to Brandify it so wish me luck. This could go well or be terrible.

Around here, I broke down and turned on the heat today. Overnight temperatures outside have been in the thirties since I got home. I play this game to see how long I can hold out before turning on the furnace. My goal is November 1. It’s October 25 and was 50 degrees inside when I got up.

I’m choosing comfort over valor this year.

Around here, I am five books behind on my annual reading goal with little hope of catching up by December 31. Thats ok. The reading goal is really designed to keep me pushing forward rather than to make me feel bad for missing the mark. In the end, I will still have read a ton of truly good books this year.

Around here I am contemplating what travel stories to tell you in the coming weeks. This trip to Cody was exactly what I needed – some museums, some outdoors, some shopping and some time with my friend who I miss very much.

There wasn’t any hiking though as my knee continues to be an issue. Instead, we did some sightseeing and even some off-roading in her Jeep. Cody isn’t especially friendly to those of us who don’t eat meat so I came home excited for vegetables and with few restaurant recommendations to share.

And much of what we learned in museums wasn’t especially cheerful. The most meaningful place we went was Heart Mountain, the site of an internment camp where Japanese Americans were held during World War II. Their interpretive center is a place I believe every American should experience at least once. Yet, I notice that people I have tried to talk to about it completely check out of the conversation because they don’t want to hear it.

Because ignoring it will certainly make it go away, right?

Around here I’m thinking a lot about the stories we tell ourselves, the ones we choose to hear, and how our ability to only be exposed to what we like or agree with is killing our nation.

Around here, I have a lot on my mind. But for now, I’ll cuddle my kitty cat who is desperately glad to have me here and I’ll make my soup and read my book and be glad to be back home.

Like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, around here is a pretty cool place to be.

Just Do It

Posted on by
2

Nike’s ingenious “Just Do It” slogan has been around since 1988. That’s about three quarters of my life.

Its origin story is kind of interesting because Dan Wieden coined the phrase after he was inspired by a death row inmate whose last words were “Let’s do it.”

The sometimes frighteningly detour-oriented train of thought that travels through my mind finds this fascinating. After all, no one understands life quite like the dying. I imagine if I were about to be executed, I would also want it over with.

So, yes, this has taken a rather morbid turn for so early in the day but I thought you would enjoy a quick factoid.

Just do it.

What a concise, powerful phrase. It can apply to so many things in life.

How many times a day do you procrastinate? Even people who think they don’t procrastinate usually avoid or put off a task at least once in a while. I try to be more proactive professionally but at home I will spend six months putting off a task that takes ten minutes.

What are you putting off?

Getting healthy?

Going back to school?

Going on a date or just making a new friend?

Finding a new job?

Starting a business?

Seeing the doctor about that weird mole?

Buying a home?

Running for office?

WHAT are you putting off? I can tell you that time waits for no one. Life is hard. Things are hard. Decisions are hard. Getting started is hard.

You know what else is hard? Being stuck in the same place today as you were a year ago. So is being in the same place six months from now as you are today.

You can’t wait until you feel better or until there’s more time. You can’t wait till the kids are grown or till the weather improves. You can’t wait until your heart mends. You can’t wait till there’s money or until you have all the answers.

Your ducks will never be in the row you need. The stars will never align exactly as you need them to.

Let’s be honest, on this crazy ride we call life, there’s never enough time. For some, that ride is nice and long and for others it’s cut short all too soon.

Time waits for no one. Just do it.

Do it anxious and sad. Do it poor. Do it scared and uncertain. Do it with tears in your eyes. Getting started is half the battle. From there, you can figure it out as you go.

Get busy living or get busy dying. That choice is yours but I recommend you embrace the life you have and don’t let it pass you by. Life is not a waiting room. It’s a grand adventure waiting just for you. Make it exactly what you want it to be.

Just do it.

It’s Time

Posted on by
2

Twenty years from now, you would give anything to have the energy and health you have right now. What are you waiting for? It’s time to take the trip, go back to school, get in shape, start over, and follow your dreams.

Time waits for no one and neither should you. Go do all the things that you’re afraid to say out loud.

The Goal Of Life

Posted on by
6

The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.

Joseph Campbell

Many humans think this manufactured society and lifestyle of ours is the only thing that matters. I can tell you that my life is happiest and best when I am living close to nature and taking my cues from the natural world.

It’s the easiest thing in the world to do once you get used to it but breaking ties from the rat race to sync up with nature is incredibly difficult.

I was grateful for a short hike this weekend and hope to do more of that soon.

My body, mind and spirit badly need to match the beating heart of the Universe. The natural world is calling my name.

Ignoring it sounds like a bad idea.