contentment

Trekking on rail and trail

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   It was finally a nice day without humidity or rain today and since I had an appointment 2 hours after I’m done with work, I decided to take a nice walk rather than go home and then back out for my appointment. I went to a familiar place, Monocacy Park in Bethlehem by Ilick’s Mill, after going for an iced tea to drink along the walk.

  I usually just walk down the dirt path along the creek and back out the same way. Today, I headed down the trail next to the railroad bed and was almost immediately rewarded with the view of a grazing doe.  She didn’t move much until I was about 10 feet away.  Then, she only stepped a couple feet off the trail, as if to be polite but without being skittish at all. Obviously, she was quite accustomed to seeing people pass by her closely. I was glad I took the different route and continued the thought, going up to the railroad instead of back toward the creek.  It seemed like I got to the trestle a lot quicker that way compared to walking the creek trail. I guess it’s more direct.  I went a little past the train trestle than I usually do since I had time to kill and had gone a shorter route there.  I looked around, enjoying the scene and the warmth of the sun on my skin and the occasional breeze felt great. There was also a nice scene of the stream and butterfly bushes and other blooms to take in. I then returned to the point I started on the rail, but went back to the creek trail to return to my car.  I saw several types of birds and more flora.

   It was time to be headed to my appointment by the time I got to the car, the perfect diversion.  Even though I’ve walked there many times in the last few years, it felt like a different place today. Just that little change in course and location brought a whole different experience.  It also helped me clear my head for my appointment and taking care of some personal business at home. I felt more focused.

   I guess that’s a good life lesson.  A small adjustment in the daily grind can make the day go quicker.  A subtle shift in attitude or thinking, or even putting up a colorful bit of décor in your workspace, looking up some old tunes to listen to are all things that can change the background noise of your day enough to help you refocus.  Talk to someone new or share something different with someone you already talk to. Try a new lunch spot or a new shop for a drink or a snack on your way home.

Dare to make any day a day of change, a day of newness, or a day of different perspective.  Keep going and keep growing.

Rest and Discomfort

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As I spent three sick days home from work this week, I didn’t do much of anything for about 2 ½ days.  As I started to feel somewhat better the third day, I did a little catching up on personal business.  I needed to do something constructive because I was getting stir crazy. 

It occurred to me that the only time I just sit around relaxing for any length of time is when I’m sick. I don’t know if I just don’t know how to relax or if it’s because I’m just used to always having things to do being an active single guy, but it’s a pattern I’ve noticed before. 

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being busy most of the time. In fact, I feel more comfortable with it in recent years. Maybe that’s because the things that keep me busy are more things I choose than they used to be.  I used to feel like life was a series of obligations, things I have to do. From daily chores to social events to work.  But somewhere along the way, my obligations have either been replaced with chosen activities or  I’ve changed how I see my activities so that they don’t feel like obligations.

One of my “chores” is watering plants which I have upstairs and downstairs and in the warmer months, outside too. But I choose to have them and I enjoy the reward. I also put bird seed out and food for a few stray cats in my neighborhood.  I guess some of these things felt like obligations at first, but as they became part of my routine, I enjoyed the good feeling they brought. 

In recent months, I’ve added workouts three times a week, and daily devotion time after work (because it’s just too early to get up and do before work),  journaling , blogging; and for enjoyment, thrift shopping  and photography.  I’ve done a lot more photography in the last couple years starting with a photo-a-day challenge for cancer and I often get those pics on a nice nature walk.

So, yeah, I don’t sit still much and I could probably use a little more relaxation time, but I’m content in being busy. It’s life!

Seeking enrichment

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Life can get pretty routine sometimes. Work or school, homework or housework, eat, sleep, repeat. It’s so important to find things to enrich our days. That can be a significant other/spouse, pets, volunteering, a hobby, or a project.

I love playing with my two crazy cats and having them snuggle while I’m watching TV or checking my social media on the laptop. One of them seems to always want to climb on top of me just when I’m ready to settle down to write.  Hey, that’s another enrichment: writing or other creative endeavors. More  importantly, working on long term goals or projects.

Of course, that’s more “work” oriented. You still need something more leisurely or enjoyable in your life. Personally, I find myself doing less of that lately. A friend asked me today if I had done any origami lately. I haven’t. I made a couple birds when I visited with her and my other good friend, her hubby, about a month ago. He’s an artist and did a drawing while we folded. That was the first time I did any paper folding for quite a few years.

I also haven’t taken my camera out too much in recent years. I love photography. I don’t know if it’s just getting older and having less energy, or if it’s depression, or a little of both.  There’s also the lack of time.

The good thing is that I still have interest in these things, so I guess I’m not too depressed. (I have bipolar depression, but take medication for it.) If you don’t know, loss of interest in things you normally enjoy is a sign of serious depression.  I just wanted to throw that in there, since mental health problems often go undiagnosed or untreated.

So, in the spirit of renewal anytime, as I discussed in my last post, I’m going to make more of an effort on all my interests.

Let’s see…. where can I go photoggin’ this weekend?

I’ll let you know.

Carpe diem.