I'm embarrassed to see it's been a month since I last posted. I do seem to go in grand spurts of energy.
I've been spending a lot of time chasing kids and, it seems, not much else.
Today, I took some time out to visit the local monastery. A new friend is visiting from the coast and had never been there. The monastery is east of Jerome, Idaho and one of the most peaceful places in this area. My dear friend LuAnn is the chef there. The monks operate a few businesses, including a farm and a retreat center.
Lunch was, of course, delightful and filling with the added spice of a lovely conversation with LuAnn and my new friend, Kate.
Kate and I walked around the grounds a bit. It was a crisp, fall day -- my favorite. One of my favorite parts of this season is walking through fallen leaves. The sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet is noisy, yet peaceful. I love the feel of kicking my toes through piles and watching my boots come forward free of the leaves. It's an odd sense of, oh, I don't know -- control maybe.... freedom.
The long and rather mild autumn we've had here has been a blessing to the farm. The crops are in without the added complication of snow. The cows like the mild temperatures and it give the crews time to winterize -- something they rush to do between harvest and snow. Around here, that means manure is hauled out of corrals, generators and equipment are readied for winter.
This time of years makes me want to hibernate -- I used to fight it, but now I embrace it. I've been working so hard on listening to body cues, I figure it's important to listen to that one too. I have to make sure I get as much time outside as possible -- and fresh and sunshine -- if there is any -- is imperative for my mental health. If the sun isn't out, I use a "happy light".
I sew more this time of year. I clean and organize. (Yikes) I find I'm less inclined to be online or even to be social. I think we humans have done a horrid job of remembering that like most mammals, we need to take time to recharge our batteries this time of year. We keep up such a busy pace, we never take time to just be still.
I know that when I do take time to embrace the season and the slowness, I feel immensely energized.
It's in those moments I have the energy to remember that everything I need is always within me -- and taking an extra minute to walk through the leaves is good for the soul.
I've been spending a lot of time chasing kids and, it seems, not much else.
Today, I took some time out to visit the local monastery. A new friend is visiting from the coast and had never been there. The monastery is east of Jerome, Idaho and one of the most peaceful places in this area. My dear friend LuAnn is the chef there. The monks operate a few businesses, including a farm and a retreat center.
Lunch was, of course, delightful and filling with the added spice of a lovely conversation with LuAnn and my new friend, Kate.
Kate and I walked around the grounds a bit. It was a crisp, fall day -- my favorite. One of my favorite parts of this season is walking through fallen leaves. The sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet is noisy, yet peaceful. I love the feel of kicking my toes through piles and watching my boots come forward free of the leaves. It's an odd sense of, oh, I don't know -- control maybe.... freedom.
The long and rather mild autumn we've had here has been a blessing to the farm. The crops are in without the added complication of snow. The cows like the mild temperatures and it give the crews time to winterize -- something they rush to do between harvest and snow. Around here, that means manure is hauled out of corrals, generators and equipment are readied for winter.
This time of years makes me want to hibernate -- I used to fight it, but now I embrace it. I've been working so hard on listening to body cues, I figure it's important to listen to that one too. I have to make sure I get as much time outside as possible -- and fresh and sunshine -- if there is any -- is imperative for my mental health. If the sun isn't out, I use a "happy light".
I sew more this time of year. I clean and organize. (Yikes) I find I'm less inclined to be online or even to be social. I think we humans have done a horrid job of remembering that like most mammals, we need to take time to recharge our batteries this time of year. We keep up such a busy pace, we never take time to just be still.
I know that when I do take time to embrace the season and the slowness, I feel immensely energized.
It's in those moments I have the energy to remember that everything I need is always within me -- and taking an extra minute to walk through the leaves is good for the soul.
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