A Forest of Yellow and Purple

Ever have one of those days where you just feel really happy? Like all the stars and planets have aligned or your biorhythms are all cycling up (if you believe any of that). I’m talking about a day where it would be nice if you could capture some of the excess happiness and save it for days down the road when you aren’t on a natural high. Yeah, that’s me today.

Could be the exercise. I’ve found that hitting the gym first thing in the morning gets the day off to a great start. I’m really glad I spent so much time working with trainers because, even though I don’t have one know, I remember just enough to work the various machines to get a good workout. Plus, the gym does have a couple of TRX’s and I did a lot of stuff on that at the work gym.

I’m going to have to keep looking though to see if I can mix it up. I sometimes think that they design exercises either for total beginners or those who are already bulked up. Like I need an intermediate program for a sort of old dude who’s got a lot of limitations but has been exercising for a bit. My search currently doesn’t come back with anything yet but I’ll keep working.

It is also a beautiful late summer day with sunshine and cool temps and no humidity to speak of. The kind of day where it is still shorts and t-shirt weather but you can actually be outside without being assaulted by the humidity. The only problem is that we are smack dab in the middle of ragweed season. I know this because my phone keeps sending me “pollen alert” warnings. As if I needed another thing to buzz on my phone.

So I get home and Rocco is giving me the eye like he’s trying to Jedi mind trick me into taking him for a walk. Or he knew I was thinking about it because I swear when it comes to walks, he’s a mind reader. Like he knows the exact moment I’ve decided to take him and then he gets all silly excited.

The place I take him is a walnut grove and the trees aren’t that big because walnuts are slow growing. As forests go, it lacks the grandeur of other places I’ve been. Today, the forest floor was covered with various plants with yellow and purple flowers. If you took a critical eye, they were pretty scrubby looking things and a couple would be considered weeds. Still, when they sun broke through the trees and hit on this one purple flower, it was still striking.

See I just believe you can find something to appreciate in any part of nature. A forest is a living thing. It changes from day to day and season to season. The changes can be subtle but every time you visit, something will be different. You kind of just have to tune your mind to that and take it all in. Maybe that’s mindfulness.

I know summer is winding down and that does make me a little sad. I think this year is different though. When you are working, life is kind of go, go, go and there aren’t the opportunities to just slow down and take in a little patch of trees and flowers. But I’ve had all kinds of time to do that this summer so it doesn’t feel like I’ve missed out. If that makes any sense. Getting downsized was certainly a blessing in disguise.

Some people derive most of their value from their work. I was never like that. There were good parts about the job and the people that I miss. But there is an underlying contradiction in big corporate life. Most corporations will say things like “our people are our most important asset”. But when times get tough, the first thing they do is cast aside that people who they no longer value. The fact that you are ultimately disposable and expendable makes it hard to take the happy words at face value. And the constant cycle of them proving that they only value certain people is kind of soul killing.

Had two different people recently ask me about my days. JoNY asked on Tuesday. This didn’t shock me because the times after work are prime for dance instructors. When you work, that’s the only time you can come. I have lots more time now so she was floating to move my lessons to the middle of the day which would allow her to back fill with other people.

For now, I’m not doing that. Part of the reason for continuing dance is it gives me an opportunity to interact with my dance friends. Coming in the middle of the day and dancing in an empty studio wouldn’t be the same. Even though we would have the entire floor and space to do all the smooth routines that we currently have to weave in and out of the other couples on the floor.

Besides, I like having my days open. See I know this hard for people to understand but I don’t need a to-do list. I don’t need a set of goals. I like getting up and having the whole day free. That way it can unfold in any number of ways and I’m able to just let it happen. We have a nice sunny day like today and I can get in a walk with the dog.

Anyway, it has been a very good day so far. I’ll leave you with this.