Everyday Life and Its Unintentional Therapy

Not all my "time  off" is spent gallivanting around random places and attempting to wax poetic on the greatness of biodiversity and conservation efforts.  For one, I've been working as a substitute teacher but the stories collected from those adventures are not solely mine to share on such a public forum.  I also spend a lot of time with my family and friends whose lives I've missed out on for far too long.

Walks out at Dillon Nature Center

I also spend quite a bit of time relaxing:

A good book and some leftover peppernuts

I also keep an eye on the backyard birdfeeders for unexpected visitors:

Not only have I been able to once again ground myself in the deep roots of my family, but reaffirm friendships long since taken for granted. 

It's been a great comfort to find that after all this time, we are still people with whom we want to remain friends. They are all still people I would choose to be friends with. Nearly a decade ago, we all left our common path and began our separate journeys.  A lot has happened since that time, relationships, house-ownership, marriage, travel, careers, career changes, motherhood, all those things that fundamentally change a person.  In spite of that, our friendships have adapted and changed and above all else, have remained.

I'm realizing more and more how good coming home has been for me, and it's only in hindsight that I recognize the effects graduate school and the looming uncertainty of the future have had on me.  I've slept better than I have in years, the seasonal depression that usually plagues me has noticeably lessened, and my various neuroses and insecurities have faded.

Metaphor

I have the time and encouragement to do the things I love best: playing with my nephews, cooking and watching Rachel Maddow with my mother, planning get togethers with old and new friends, and of course having the luxury to putter around outside.  I'm very aware that this "break from reality" is a great gift that not a lot of people have, especially in these times of economic crisis.  Trust me, I spend a lot of time thinking about how grateful I am.

In other news, spring has arrived! 

The Bradford Pears are blooming!

Out at the Sand Hills to see how those spring mornings are coming along...and they're
coming along quite nicely.

I'm constantly reminded of one of my all-time favorite quotes, a line a from a book called Truck by Michael Perry, who has long been a favorite author of my family.  Granted he's referring to a growing relationship, but I like to think he wouldn't mind if I used it to describe the feeling of making it through the storm and finding your dreams still waiting for you on the other side.  (Though he may not appreciate the unintended cheesiness of that sentence.)

"And so now I am in the car driving home in the dark nursing a quiet little blend of excitement and hope.  God bless our unkillable hearts."