The Little Things

"Enjoy little things in life... For one day you'll look back and realizeI’ve been reveling in a quiet day at home today. Unplugged. Out of touch. They’re rarer than they should be and remind me why I have the goal of a stay-at-home date night on my list of Things To Do. There’s something uncommonly nourishing about not facing crowds of people, endless errands, and a to-do list or social obligations a mile long.

Of course, part of the reason for the quietude is that our trip to the eastern shore last weekend landed an unexpected, unwanted visitor. First hubs, then I succumbed to a nasty flu that has meant extra sleep was no longer a nice-to-have option–but was also that much harder to come by with the massive headache/body ache that came with the virus. We’re lucky it seems to have been of the 24-hour variety that is making me overly grateful for being mostly healthy again today.

I’m also down to my final few critiques for my writer’s workshop. By some miracle, I am still on target for finishing everything on time. And I’m really grateful for the insights my peers have shared with me. (I’ll be weeding out all the distancing “I feel”, “I think”, etc. from my first-person narratives in the very near future.) But this also means I need to be pulling up my big-girl panties and facing the remainder of my story in the very near future. I’m not sure why, but it certainly seems that finishing up all the story arcs I’ve built out over the course of the trilogy feels more overwhelming than when I was just enjoying the story for its own sake.

So it was with high interest that I read a future-is-past piece of a story from one of the other authors in the group, and started re-exploring the Berlin Wall again. It’s odd to think that monument to the Cold War was built–at least symbolically–in one night in 1961. That’s how little time it took to lay 30 miles of barbed wire to enforce the boundary between east and west–and entrap a population to ensure a self-declared country’s economic survival. This past November saw the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall already. (Another sign of how quickly time flies!) Ironically, a Russian-based news and opinion site has one of the best collections of 25 things people most likely don’t know about the Wall that I’ve seen. It’s a good reminder that history has some valuable lessons we would do best to pay attention to–by way of avoiding a repeat. It certainly contributes to the plotbunny possibilities of the future in ways I hadn’t anticipated for myself.

This week hubs also forwarded another useful article listing 18 spiritual teachings to remind me to focus on the Now. As the author says: “The past brought me here, but it is over. The future is totally uncertain.” All I can do is enjoy the moment I have, revel in my furbabies’ flourishing, and love my family and friends.

So I’m okay with another week short on walking (by way of social duties, rain, and flu derailment–for a total of 3 of just over 2 miles), and short on PMP studying (though the class Monday night gave another few key tips that make that mountain seem not so daunting). At least I met two other big goals. And I can build on them. So go, see how the other ROW80ers are doing this week, and know that I’ll be back again next week, crossing my fingers for not quite so many social obligations or health issues that I can make more progress on the other goals.

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