Tag Archives: nature

Saturday Is A Beautiful Word

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Saturday is a beautiful word filled with endless possibility for us 9 to 5’ers. Sometimes we envision ourselves obliterating a to-do list, spending time on a hobby, or out exploring. My day will be a little of all of these things.

Today won’t be beautiful but it will be 44 degrees and that’s pretty warm so I’ll be going outside anyway. Fresh air is good for clearing the clutter from one’s mind and lungs.

Conditions may not be perfect but it’s the only Saturday we have this week so it’s best to seize the day and use the free time to our advantage.

If you’re watching the news, you know that life here in America has been stressful lately.

I haven’t talked about this here because I consider it my job to rise above the muck of daily living. Instead, I try to give you something positive to think about and something productive to aspire to in your own life. However, it’s important to note that humans were not designed to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Whether you’re mad because you don’t understand why everyone isn’t thrilled with the direction of our government or you’re terrified because you stand with the rest of the world’s belief that the American government is on the wrong side of history, the burden is not yours to carry today.

Take a day off from the madness. Turn off the news, stop doomscrolling social media. Let it go. Even if it is just for today.

You have my permission and my encouragement. You deserve a day off.

Use today to do something you’ve been putting off or to take a long drive on roads you’ve never driven. Invite a friend for lunch or get lost in the quiet of your local library. Bundle up and sit on your porch if you can’t leave home. Nothing feels better than attacking a space to declutter and clean.

My day will include home chores, a hike, and time with my fella. I’ll be avoiding the news and will resist the world’s insistence that human beings are most valued for our wallets and consumerism. Yup, my No Spend Challenge continues in its harshest form again.

But first, we must get out of bed. So do that, have a nutritious breakfast and enjoy your Saturday. You have earned it!

March

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The winds howled last night while the March Peepers sang their little hearts out. Daffodils have broken through the ground, yellow tips ready to break out into bud soon. Birds gather round the feeder, badly in need of some good meals to help them through the winter. It has been warm but there’s snow in the forecast and a chill in the air again.

That’s March in Ohio for you. Change is always on the horizon so don’t get too comfortable in whatever combination of heavy coat/shorts, boots/ flip flops/hoodie you chose for today.

It will change.

Now that Spring is near, we can revisit the old saying: March winds and April showers bring May flowers.

And for today, we won’t discuss the grass and weeds that will soon follow all those pretty spring blooms!

Happy Day, friends!

Silent Sunday

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Something Waits Beneath It

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As Andrew Wyeth said, “I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feel of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.”

Wyeth was a well known 20th century American painter whose work is easily recognizable. Empty rooms, a lone man walking, a solitary woman in a field, a cat staring into the distance: this is a man who understood loneliness and the power of being alone. His stark landscapes tell the story of a powerful natural world and what lies beneath the earth and the bare trees.

My photo above is just a snapshot of a place I sometimes walk but I think he would approve of this place and especially that day when it was so cold and barren. Something in the air that day seemed to promise that there is life within, waiting for the right moment to turn outward and prove it isn’t really dead.

I appreciate this time of year for the stark beauty, for the truth in the structure of the landscape, and for the promise of what’s ahead.

If we could hold onto this for a while, I would be quite happy. Seeing the world come to life again as winter gives way to spring is gratifying but that period of rebirth and rejuvenation never lasts long where I live. By the first of June I’ll be sweating, mad because summer clothes are so ugly and marking off the days until October. Still, I’ll choose to find the good and to adapt my activities around the humidity for maximum happiness in that season.

For now though, I celebrate what others deem ugly. I luxuriate in a season many find depressing. I am grateful for this odd thing that allows me to be happy and comfortable with what others find intolerable.

Fellow adventurers, I encourage you to stand outside and allow your eyes to seek out something promising about the landscape which you have been taught is ugly. If you can find beauty and joy in winter, odds are your ability to process other harsh days will be much stronger.

Happy Saturday, friends.

Hannibal “The Fish” Lecter

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This fish resides in a vase with a plant on a counter in an office I frequent.

It’s a solitary life and I always wonder how happy the fish is to be in such a small space with strangers coming and going all day. I remarked on this to the secretary and she frowned.

She said that there had actually been another fish and someone added this one to the vase. This fish, the newcomer, attacked the first one. I won’t tell more than that but the first little fish didn’t make it.

When I heard this story, I slowly pulled away my index finger from the side of the vase and inched down the counter. The sweet solitary fish suddenly reminded me of Hannibal Lecter.

Poor little dead fish! Nature is rough. I guess it’s true that being alone is better than being with the wrong person especially when that wrong person is a mean fish.

No Spend Challenge, Hibernation And Venturing Out

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As much as I enjoy my No Spend Challenge and the peace that it brings to my life through self imposed hibernation, my life principles continue to apply. The most relevant that I want to discuss today are:

  1. Always have something to look forward to. That can be something as simple as a lunch walk or something as special as a trip you’re planning. It could be a good meal or favorite tv show. There is no right or wrong answer here.
  2. It’s healthy to do something different than normal. Routine can be helpful and healthy. It can also be lethal. This is why I suggest occasionally incorporating something new into your daily life – a different route home from work, a picnic somewhere you’ve never been, a book genre you’ve never read or stopping by a new business in town to meet the owner and see what they’ve got. 
  3. Sometimes we are tired, not because we need rest but because we haven’t done enough things that make us feel alive. 

I happily embraced my typical No Spend Challenge hibernation starting just before New Year’s Eve until January 31. I went to the office some, ran to the grocery when needed, and that’s about it. My car gets great gas mileage and I drove so little that I couldn’t remember which side the gas tank was on when I went to fill up last week! 

My life here at home is lovely and it was a real treat to stay home and enjoy it. 

But three things happened this week: I shifted into less stringent No Spend rules for February, the weather warmed up a little, and an out-of-town pal came home to visit. We were able to squeeze in morning walks this weekend. On Saturday, after our 24 degree walk at dawn, I took myself out for an omelette and hot chocolate. I also picked up a couple of necessities at the store and attempted to support a new local bookshop inside a vendor mall. They haven’t been open long and I have been wanting to spend a few bucks to support their endeavour. Unfortunately, their selection is geared toward a different audience than yours truly (which is fine – I wish them the best) so I came home empty handed. 

At least I tried. 

It was a good day. Watching nature come to life as the darkness gave way to a gray, cloud covered sky inspired a certain sense of awe. As I told my friend, I like the starkness of bare trees against a dark winter sky. I like the nuances in the ice on the lake and the way the cold air bites just enough to propel a person into motion. 

We saw lots of Canada Geese on the lake and many more flying in formation, northbound and silent. And then came two stragglers, flying side by side, loudly chattering amongst themselves and oblivious to the casual observers on the ground. I said to my friend “Look! It’s us! They’re two friends catching up!”

We got a laugh out of it but I think it was true. So much in nature models what humans need. The stark landscape, the animals in hibernation and the ones that travel together are all beautiful reminders that our needs are a little different in this season and that there are warmer days ahead.

However, on this day, I needed a little adventure, a change of scenery and a chat with a friend.