Passing the time

My body and mind are still tuned to the cycles of work-vacation-work. I used to get so energized at work. I found it hard to relax and enjoy downtime. I still tend to have more hyper energy during what they call business hours. So this week of holiday time has felt a little aimless and unsettled. Especially in view of two major cancellations of plans. This is the way it is.

Weaving continues. It has been a good pre-occupation. The 1/4 inch of white at the top is what’s remaining. I have to rewatch the lesson on finishing up the weaving to check on this step. It has been very enjoyable to do and the loom makes an imposing presence on the table. It is easy to sit down in a spare moment or two and weave some passes.

On the other hand, I am mourning the loss of cold snowy winters. I anticipated enjoying lots of cold and mounds of snow when we moved to Maine. We have not had that, especially the last few winters. There’s a little snow, then we get rain. And eventually lots of ice builds up from rain-freeze cycles with no mitigating snow. Temps are hovering around freezing but not the deep cold that really freezes large lakes and ponds. I am grateful that we’re not in drought conditions, that’s the worst. We’ve gotten lots of rain. As Sam says “Maine is basically a swamp.”

My mantra when I get climate blues has been “Let the earth do what she needs to do.” This helps when I really want to complain about the weather. But it’s not working that well anymore. It’s more than complaining, it’s a constant state of alarm. The concept of “witnessing” – watching and acknowledging the changes – and also savoring the beauty available in the present seems a more helpful mental attitude.

So today, I focused on the beautiful frost before it melted in the sunshine.