At 6:02 a.m. this morning, I (almost) jumped out of bed, excited about a full day of varied activities.
The day was pretty much a blank slate, except for a scheduled 7 a.m. bike ride around our wonderful Trout Run Trail with a friend and a coffee shop meeting in the early afternoon to discuss some design details for a website I’m building for my church.
I started the day off by walking my dog around the block. The air was warmer than I expected, and I found myself wishing I’d left my hoodie at home. It boded well for our bike ride.
After a delicious breakfast, my friend and I headed out for our first Saturday morning bike ride of the season. It was breathtaking (both the beauty of spring and the steep hills — my lung capacity is somewhat reduced since last fall). We spotted not one, but two eagles during our ride. One was an adult sitting in its normal spot at the top of a big tree. The other was one of the young ‘uns perched halfway up a tree by one of the steepest parts of the trail. It was a good excuse to get off the bike and just stand and watch for a little while (and catch our breaths).
The ride energized me and when I came home, I just wanted to keep moving and not sit in front of the computer (even though the above-mentioned website was calling). So I loaded our recyclables up in the car, picked up around the house, started some laundry, vacuumed, and mopped the floors on the main level. It felt so good!
And then I realized that this is life. Daily chores and routine activities are not to be dreaded. Rather, we should embrace them and relish the experience of making a space beautiful, moving our bodies, and getting away from the screens that seem to follow us throughout the day. Otherwise, we may just end up missing our lives.
Still energized, I made a small grocery list and hopped in the car to drop off the recycling and swing by our local coop. Recycling took all of three minutes and the weather was beautiful, so I decided to stroll through the Winneshiek Farmer’s Market before venturing inside. I chatted with friends and stopped by my favorite baked goods vendor to buy an almond croissant ($3.50 worth of heaven).
In the coop, I picked up necessities such as brown rice flour, bananas, cinnamon pita chips, and Medjool dates. While checking out, I bumped into a friend from Denmark, so I had a chance to speak a little Swedish — always a fun treat. (We talked about anemones.)
Once home, I emptied a bag of local lettuce into a bowl and added shredded carrots, local cherry tomatoes, orange pieces, some leftover corn, and tossed it with my favorite salad dressing of all times, Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette. Lunch. Check.
And now I’m here. I’ve finally found my way to the computer for an afternoon of website work. But I’m OK with that, because my day has been amazing so far, my house is clean, I’m about to step out into a sunny, warm day for a walk to the local coffee shop, and later, I get to visit with friends at an Open House for the new Acupuncture Center Decorah.
What can I say? I’m embracing life.
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