My dearest internet family. It was actually rather refreshing to log off for a while. As much as I enjoy sharing my soul, podcasting and shit posting on the social media. My tank had run dry for a while. So many life changes all at once, so many truths revealed. I needed some me time to find my center and just breath.
Life has a way of running us over some times. Usually we don't even notice until we are flat on our back and wondering why everything around us is on fire. At that point, it becomes hard to do much anything else but breath and take it all in. I don't think anyone one requires as much of me as I do. On the same hand, no one is as hard on me as I am.
Sometimes we go through the motions of day to day without much behind the scenes actually going on. Doing what we know we need to, but not much beyond that scope. Reading and learning had lost its savor. The self-help book I was reading felt more of a checklist item because it is what I do vs and enjoyable and beneficial activity. Go to work, come home and have the what's for dinner conversation, then kill some time and repeat. Socialization beyond that shunned because, why?
So I hit pause and coasted for a while. Taking in all the new things to learn at work. Having a daddy daughter night with the Monkey when Shelby was off at D&D. That was my first voyage out of my hole. We went to an art studio open house. Got to meet someone who has been an online friend forever and bought a mini resin planchette that inspired me to create again.
Some cheap frames I had on hand and some double-sided tape. The most epic battle with the printer was required to print the scaled down Ouija board. But I had made myself a table-top curiosity. It is tiny and I love it.
I read my first book of the year. I picked up my leather-bound Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy collection and finished the second story. Something I started over a decade ago. I devoured it like a man who had been lost in the woods for a week living off tree bark. Reading this sparked joy.
Saturday, I realized I had six movie credits in my account. That means I have not gone to the theater in six months. So I called Scot and invited him to come check out the Minecraft movie with us on Saturday night. We split two buckets of popcorn, one regular and one kettle corn. It was a later showing and the monkey fell asleep halfway through, but she had already seen the movie. This too sparked joy. It was nice to leave the world behind even for a short while and just have some good laughs.
The Monkey has fallen in love with going to the dog park. Absolutely loves it. Begs Shelby to go. Sunday on the drive back to Orem we went to the Sandy dog park and did a few laps. Rain loves the monkey and was happy to follow her around. It was a beautiful day to be outside, and it felt good to walk those laps. This too sparked joy.
After the park, we stopped and got coffee. Along with a soda for the monkey and a pup cup for the K9. Rain thought that the monkey was withholding a new kind of pup cup from her and kept licking the bottom of the cup every time she drank. This sparked laughter.
After we dropped off the Monkey, we made a quick Smiths run and headed home. It was 62 out and perfect weather for me to get in even more steps. So I mowed the lawn. This sparked pain and a sense of accomplishment. It was good to get it done. The lawn mower was not even that much of a bitch to get going after its winter off.
Smoked chicken has become a family favorite. Making a meal is an act of service that brings me joy. After work today, I fired up the smoker and Shelby seasoned the chicken and washed the potatoes. I smoked the chicken and potatoes, and we had a little feast. I even had some stuffing. Stuffing is its own kind of love language. Tomorrow I get to share some chicken and potatoes with my boss, and I am looking forward to it. Plus, the leftovers got shredded and some will go in the freezer. So it was a bit of meal prep as well.
This morning while in my usual rush I paused. The moon looked so perfect. I have no idea how many mornings it has been looking down on me. But I know this morning I paused to enjoy it and take this picture. Sometimes we get so wrapped up chasing the next task or checklist item or part of our daily routine that we simply stop creating. Creating moments, experiences, art, laughter and even memories. We are more than a job. We are more than someone with bills to pay. We are people with hopes, dreams and ambitions. We have a soul, and our normal day-to-day grind is not usually built to feed it. I hope you pause and take in the moments. I hope you cast aside the burdens of life, even for just a few hours, to have an experience. Life will pass us by while we are busy living the day to day. When is the last time you stopped and did something you actually enjoy, not just found a familiar way to kill time until bed?
PS writing this brought me joy :-)
Bishop :(:
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