Autumn

 

At just after 8 am this morning, the sun found a thin slice of clear sky to send a shaft of brilliant sun into the back yard.  The photo doesn't really do the reality justice.

The leaden sky background to the brilliant yellow/oranges of the trees visible in the back neighbour's yard and up the steep slope of the hill behind was stunning.

A perfectly timed reminder that, even in the midst of a whole lot of things slipping sideways, there is still something to appreciate and enjoy.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed with the brokenness of the world.  It is easy to stay focused on the things that are going wrong - or at least not the way we would want.  It is easy to be upset and stay stuck in wishing things were not the way they are.

But this morning Mother Nature provided a tiny sliver of a reminder that even in the bad times, we can still take a moment to stand in wonder at the window and appreciate that there is still beauty and hope and plant a tiny seed of gratitude for the little things in life.

Yesterday I 'finished' a section of one of the things I've been working on.  Today I package up the samples and send them off to where they belong.  Once I've done that I will turn my attention to packing.  Doug did a load of laundry and I can start filling my suitcase with personal stuff.

I've resigned myself to having a pandemic 'do' for the taping.  Not what I wanted, but things happen.  I could scramble to try and find another hairdresser but I'm never sure I'll get a good cut and a bad cut would be worse than what I currently have, so...

Now that I'm able to clear my head a bit and focus on the trip I am beginning to look to the future more purposefully.  Facing my personal health challenges head on means I can - hopefully - make better choices as time marches on.

Autumn is a prelude to winter, when I tend to withdraw, conserve my energy and try to make plans for the spring.  I have obligations for the next 3 months, but once we are home from Vancouver, the really BIG deadlines are pretty much done.  I will have to go out more than I have been, but that isn't necessarily bad.  Just that I will continue to be cautious.  Because covid isn't over yet.  

As for my own weaving practice, my goal is to continue to weave down my stash.  I've done really well the past two years, but I still have So Much.  Changing medication has given me my brain back and I can think again.  But mostly weaving remains physical and mental/emotional therapy.  

I have gotten to the point where I am willing to simply get rid of some of my yarn, and I will have to think about how best to do that.  There is too much to toss or give away.  I don't really want to sell it, unless I can sell the whole lot at once.  But I will think on that over the winter.  I could weave more of it down, but I'm not really enjoying working with that yarn any more.  But who knows.  I could change my mind, too!

Always something to think about.  And sometimes just sitting down and thinking about it brings a solution.  So I try to keep an open mind and see what opportunities come knocking on my door.