The daily grind has got me thinking that I don't have much to write about. When I really get to thinking about it, I have to say to myself, 'self, that is hogwash.' The thing is, the ball is rolling. And if we are going to to go with that metaphor, I am hugging the ball and rolling with it, making it go clunk each time the ball (with me on it) makes another rotation. The daily grind. Get up early. Drink tea. Fix food for the day. Go somewhere- like work or the house or Jenna's. Focus on the work all day. Get tired. Try to come up with something hot and healthy to eat at about 8:30 when the light is too dim outside to keep going. Go upstairs and fall asleep trying to read, write on the blog or watch something on Hulu. Wake up at 5:30 and do it again. It's good. I'm honestly tired at the end of each day. I am maintaining my schedule, earning my pay, and getting things done. I spend nearly every day all day outside with good company. I have plenty, and I live in a beautiful place.
The thing is, a month can go by in the blink of an eye. The grind has got time flying and me scrambling to keep up with things that can't be rushed. Giving proper attention to the elemental beauty I live in. Allowing time for walking through my world to simply observe. Feeding the creative beast within which tends to get hungrier the busier I get with the daily grind. Stretching my muscles out and resting them. Stuff like this gets put off for another day, and then I realize a month has gone by and my head was up the ass of the ole Daily Grind the whole time.
I try to do things to keep it fresh: Honeysuckle breakfasts help put a sweet and wild twist on my daily grind. I've been infusing creamy milk with fresh honeysuckle blossoms and using it to flavor my french toast, morning tea, and making it into rich, floral smoothies straight-up with fresh strawberries. This weekend I made time to drive out to Leicester to retrieve a gorgeous rattlesnake skin from my friend JL who went backpacking down near Cashiers last week. As he walked along, he told himself (naturally), 'the next rattlesnake I see I'm eating.' Sure enough, 10 minutes later, there was one in his path. 'Damn,' he told himself,'now I have to eat it.' So he threw a large rock at the snake's head to stun it, then held its stunned head down with a stick while he promptly beheaded it with his pocket knife. Halfway through the process he questioned what the heck was he doing, but it was too late to go back. He put the beheaded snake in his backpack and hiked toward camp, while the thing continued to writhe and squiggle. It was still moving when he skinned it off for the pot. I love this story because I could easily see myself in that situation and it cracks me up.
I also participated in a hilarious round of cherades out in Grapevine, on a night where Susie demonstrated her goat riding abilities on a sweet horned one named Victor, and I boogied in a moon and firefly lit field to some really really loud Muddy Waters.
I also spent the day palling around with Jessie as her guest at a well known local festival. I did not wear a fanny pack. I did wear a straw hat and ride a shuttle bus into the festival...
Today I am back to the grind, although hanging out with Jenna on Sundays is never routine or monotonous, and is quite lovely.
Write me with ideas of how to keep keeping it fresh with a busy working and house building schedule.
1 comment:
Dana, your daily grind sounds like a little piece of some heavenly action to this city liver. I am way familiar with your experience of how time is passing. It freaks me out! The future is NOW. All we have is today, and so forth. I love your rattle snake story. I remember my Dad beheading a Copperhead with is pocket knife down at the Springhouse when I was little, all us kids played with the writhing beheaded body for a while. Fascinating. If you're looking for a way to spice up your daily grind, come see ME! Actually, I should come see you in your own good damn paradise.
Miss you Starla!
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