Ditching the To-Do List

Melissa remarked in a blog post the other day something along the lines of 'Wasn't it supposed to slow down once school started?'.  I've been asking anyone who will listen a similar question...wasn't it supposed to slow down this fall after all the field work was done?  Apparently the answer is a very loud, very persistent NO.  Life continues to be hectic and I'm still struggling to really get back into a routine (of course it would help if I were home more than a few days at a time).  Last night was only the third or fourth night that John and I have sat down to a home-cooked meal together since oh...early June.  I've been knitting but probably have only logged 4 or 5 hours since coming out of the field. 

It may sound strange, but sometimes I realize life is going by in a blur and sometimes I don't.  Saturday night, I went outside late to drop something in the garbage and by chance looked up and saw the stars.  It startled me because what was a nightly ritual in the field, had become a forgotten thought.  I stood there looking at the stars and suddenly realized I needed to find a way to slow it all down.  So Sunday I woke up, worked on my to-do list for a few hours and then gleefully ditched it.  Instead I took off in my truck to do the one thing that will never fail to give me peace.  I hung out with my girls.  I took some pictures, but mostly I just spent time with them.  Coming back down the hill after my visit, I realized that fall had been passing me by.  I had not taken one photograph of fall colors this season.  So I slowed down even more and took some shots of this amazing country in which I live.  As a perfect end...when I got back to town, I called a friend and we took a short hike up a canyon. Finally I felt some balance returning to my world. 

 

_ _ _ _ _

Now playing: Wheels by Fink

.