It has been a quiet, relaxing week around here. With some time away from work and close to home, I fully intended to hit the household to do list and get some of those ridiculously prolonged projects completed. But there was this cloud of gratitude in the air, coloring our sunsets in such a way that chores and projects fell by the wayside and we spent the week watching the sky, taking photos and simply enjoying our moments.
When I was a child, my grandma would always send the family a big tin or two of homemade goodies for the holidays. Date pinwheels, persimmon cookies, chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate chip cookies…the contents never varied. Opening that tin always felt like saying hello to old friends and getting a big, warm hug from Grandma. The chocolate-covered pretzels were my personal favorite, but I always wondered about those persimmon cookies…what, on earth, is a persimmon?
Dirt beneath my boots, shadows on rocks, warm sun on my face, wind whispers in my ear, a crisp autumn chill and the company of my favorite friend…these things I love. This is the stuff to pause for. Breathe it in. Soak it up. In this season of gratitude we express our appreciation for the things we have, the people we love and the moments in life that fill our hearts with joy. It is moments like these, for which I am most thankful.
As autumn begins to creep toward winter, our high altitude adventures go into hibernation mode as snow begins to dust those granite ridgelines. And so begins our desert season. This time of year, our explorations take on a whole new vibe. Desert dunes displace Sierra summits, Jeffrey pines give way to Joshua trees and skycapes stretch far beyond what the eye can see.
This little blog adventure of mine is proving to be a very fun and surprisingly satisfying endeavor. I have no idea what I’m doing, to be sure. I have absolutely no computer skills. This online entity, the internet, it completely baffles me. My social skills are somewhat lacking, so staying connected…are you kidding me? But this little space, this mysterious place, my own tiny corner of this massive web, is slowly growing on me.
Seek a Little Solace 