And then I was home.
☆ February 23, 2016
I drove just shy of 700 miles this weekend. A family visit corresponded perfectly with a follow up with my voice doc. Both out of state, one big loop. Both great. I drove home yesterday.
As I got closer to the Wyoming state line, the wind mellowed. Traffic dispersed. And then I was in Wyoming. The landscape seemed to take a deep breath, relax, and just spread out. Houses and power lines vanished from sight. I passed magpies and an eagle feasting on roadkill. I passed a truck and horse trailer parked out in the sagebrush, two cowboys on horseback riding away into the vastness.
As I got closer to home, the earth changed from silver and tan to red. When I stopped on the road to open the gate to my driveway, I could feel the silence. Six mule deer picked their way across the pasture. A whinny from Kota broke through the quiet, and I looked up and saw a dozen faces watching me from the point of the hill above – Daisy and Maia and Li’l Six and Ranger and the rest.
And then I was home.
Messy Can Be Gratifying
☆ February 22, 2016
I’m at my niece’s first birthday party.
More correctly, I am outside in the backyard with my sister’s dog and a chocolate cupcake.
It’s madness inside.
Parents, standing shoulder to shoulder, have formed a ring surrounding a dozen tiny humans under the age of 2. It is so loud.
It’s not madness. To those inside, it’s totally normal.
I am the mad one, sitting outside a party talking to a dog.
I am not mad, either. I just need a small break. The size of this gathering is equivalent to 15% of the population of my town.
Madness/normal, either/or, all/nothing…..
Collectively, we are so attached to a good/bad binary.
And there is no good/bad binary!
Based on some comments on my previous post, I feel the need to clarify my opinion: receiving immediate feedback after sharing online does not fit this mythical binary. If I didn’t want to read comments, I would disable comments. It’s quick, it’s easy, and I’ve done it before.
But.
Doing so disables the two-way – nay, multi-way – communication so specific to the internet, which I find special, interesting, and worthwhile. It can be overwhelming… and extraordinary. It can be annoying…. and an honor. It is not either/or.
It is challenging to navigate. Full stop.
And now… I’m going to go back inside and watch babies roll around in sweet potato, and toss a balloon into a bouquet of tiny hands.
Belated
☆ February 19, 2016
I finally finished my last Xmas present this morning.
I hope the recipient thinks it’s worth the wait…..!
I also finally updated the Shop for the first time since… November?
In Wyoming news, it is February and it is still March.
Sliver
☆ February 17, 2016
There’s half a moon already. I was surprised, last night, when I went outside at 10pm and it was bright enough to see easily, bright enough for hard-edged shadows. The moonlight bounced off Chloe’s white fur, making her glow. Charlie’s coat, which can magically camouflage itself in all seasons and environments – dry grass, snow, sagebrush, red dirt – blended with the night. His shadowy form sparkled as the white tips of his guard hairs caught the light.
Half a moon makes it easy to be outside in the dark – it’s light enough to walk around, no need for flashlights – yet still easy to sleep. Full moons disrupt – moonlight bounces off every stone, off each specular surface of our trucks, it magnifies, then seeps around the edges of curtains and slides across bedroom walls. My favorite moon is a sliver, a delicate crescent. I call it the Frisco moon and it makes me feel connected to him again, when I see it. His horns were that shape.
Nothing Beyond Need
☆ February 16, 2016
I love this self portrait from artist Hazel Dooney. I love how everything in the photo matters – everything is there for a reason, for utility, to contribute. Juxtaposed against the ridiculous societal race to have more – big cars and bigger houses (subject to pinterest-shaming if the decor is not coordinated and curated) – this image is a respite. A reality check. It flies in the face of all that greed and perceived need and feels so much richer for it. Because none of that “stuff” matters when you have work to do. And by work, I mean manifesting your passion, whatever that is.
At the same time, juxtaposed against the poverty of billions, this image demonstrates such luxury to me. A safe place to be and to sleep. A mattress and clean sheets, excellent shelving and a trash can. A space to work. How extraordinarily valuable: the opportunity to manifest your passion, whatever that is.
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I’ve been feeling a little stuck, blog-wise. I’ve been second-guessing myself into nothingness. So, I’m going to post every weekday for the next month – that means unpolished snippets, random thoughts. More discipline, less self-editing. See you tomorrow!
MY NEW BOOK!
More, Elsewhere
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