Early Resolutions

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November has rolled around again, and this year it sure is a doozy, eh?   But putting my election day emotions on hold for a minute, I'm contemplating this:  

 
In autumn, nature's palette is distinctly different than any other time of year, and I long to spend hours drinking in the beauty.  But alas, too many other things fill my days, and my thirst for time off from my "regular life" only grows.  Each morning when I awake, I see the brilliant sunrise with a crisp edge of frost making the leaves rain down from the Jujube and Apricot trees, and at day's end I see the golden angle of the sun beaming through the chartreuse and yellow leaves of the Cottonwood along Arivaca Creek.  In between, there are lists and chores, and distractions galore. 
 

If I'm lucky, some of those distractions include butterflies and bees, flowers and birds.  If I'm not, they include politics and conflicts, anger and sadness.  And no matter what, even when I manage to cross off many to-dos during the day, there are always more added.  Thankfully I still sleep very soundly most nights and wake refreshed, yet each "groundhog day" wears we out again.  And slowly but surely, the things that are most satisfying to my soul slip to the bottom of the to-do list.

So I've been missing out on a lot of my favorite pastimes: For instance, this fall, by the time I cleared off my studio porch enough to hang the hammock for the first time in months, it was almost time to move all the surrounding Geraniums and Coleus plants to the greenhouse, and get the cloches ready for frosty nights.  Then the third time I laid down in it, its ropes began to pop apart.  Is it too early to make a New Year's resolution to break this cycle?  

 

I hope not, cause that's my plan!  And here's my new to-do list, in no particular order:

  • Order a new hammock;
  • Keep hope alive;
  • Make art;
  • Watch birds;
  • Finish my book;
  • Keep in touch with friends and family; 
  • Sing;
  • Take trips near and far;
  • Stargaze;
  • Read;
  • Grow more food;
  • Take naps.
Wish me luck 🤞🤞🍀🍀


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