It's not a bad routine when you think about it. I get plenty of sleep when you count naps. I eat healthy meals that I actually enjoy. I certainly get plenty of exercise. Just so I don't get too comfortable in my little cocoon, I try to travel to Kennedy Space Center every couple of months and cover a launch. I'm not a real journalist, but my articles do get published.
I used to spend a lot of time having lunch with people. A lot of this was just maintaining business contacts, but I suppose it was fun as well. I do remember some lively discussions. I don't do this anymore. I keep up with people by scrolling through my Facebook feed every morning. Occasionally I'll hit the like button but that's about as engaged as I get. If you're not on Facebook, I've probably forgotten your name.
Is this healthy? Who's to say. I certainly feel more balanced and content than I did during the ad agency days when life was a cacophony of ambition and conflict. I'm no Henry David Thoreau, but there is a beauty in solitude. To be alone with your thoughts is fairly rewarding when you are actually thinking.
So there you have it. I get up every morning and take an early walk with Janet and Dawn. I eat my bowl of shredded wheat and do a few chores around the house. My long walk is almost always the same, but I'm never thinking the same things. I daydream a lot. These conversations with myself feel more rewarding than the lunchtime arguments I used to have with friends over a bowl of Pad Thai.
I do wish my feet didn't hurt. I vaguely remember four day hikes I used to take in the summer when I lived in Aspen. I couldn't do that anymore. Six miles a day on very familiar trails is plenty. I used to take more pictures, but I think I've photographed everything in the park by now. Sometimes I'll just use an old photo for the blog when I see something on my walk that I've already photographed. One year I decided that I was going to learn the names of every tree and flower in the park. I brought home leaves and photographed flowers and then looked them up in books. There were hundreds of different species. It was interesting for a while, but I've already forgotten the names of a lot of the plants I spent so long trying to identify. Now I just count ducks.
It's probably a blessing that Dawn doesn't want to walk with me. I used to walk our other Dalmatians twice a day and unpredictable things would happen. It was stressful. Over the years several dogs got stung by bees or cut by broken glass. Dot ripped out a nail when thunder scared her and she started running back home. Dash got out of his harness once and I was afraid he was going to run away. Later Dash was almost killed when he was attacked by a very aggressive dog in the neighborhood. A stranger drove Dash and I to the vet and it took him months to fully recover. This is still one of my very worst memories. I try my best to avoid conflict and danger but you never really know what's going to happen next. I really hope my life stays uneventful.
Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day |
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