There is a stark beauty to a Southern winter landscape. Green and flowered slopes give way to a snow-dusted carpet of leaves. Without the dense and verdant undergrowth, the moss skirts around all the silvery tree trunks shine like a field of fairy rings.
This morning I stood on top of a hill in absolute silence, looking down a ravine and up the next side, caught by the abstract loveliness of a the bright green rings against canvas of brown, white, and gray. The silence struck me as a bit odd - I couldn't even hear any birds. Then, softly and from a distance, I heard the morning call of a crow and the tick, tick, tick of a woodpecker looking for breakfast.
As I headed back, more bird appeared, scratching and popping between mounds of leaves. A bluebird landed at my feet, and as I closed in on the trail head, a mockingbird let me know I had stepped too close to his feeding ground.
My spirit, my body felt energized by this short trip into the woods, almost as if I'd been reminded that there was yet so much to explore in this world, in God's realm, with our bodies, minds, and spirit. It was a step UP into my day.
I am in retreat. Literally and figuratively. Every February, the Music City Romance Writers gather, talk writing, have a couple of seminars, talk to a couple of editors, and renew our writing spirits. This year, our editor got caught in the mess that is the weather in the Northeast, and wound up having to cancel.
I'm sooo there, line edits in hand. This year, we're at the Natchez Trace State Park, and I'm loving it. I'm also hoping to get a bit of hiking in, but that will depend on the weather.
Will post more thoughts as I have time and inspiration.
Sometimes God whacks me a little. After I posted that this morning, I read this:
http://www.michaelhyatt.com/fromwhereisit/2008/02/the-perfect-mom.html#more
Definitely makes me want to read Mr. O'Kelly's book.
I'm sometimes amazed how I let emails that I really want to answer sit in my mailbox for weeks...sometimes months. I currently have almost 200 emails in my boxes at home, and another 122 marked for follow-up at work. In fact, I'm rapidly coming up on the ONE YEAR anniversary of one bit of mail...and the longer time drifts by, the more remorse I feel. My rather lame excuse (which I stole from another friend) is that I don't have the time "right now" to give them the attention they deserve.
As I said, LAME. I know that in most cases a quick note would suffice, but most of these are from people I WANT to give better attention to. Except for work-related emails, I generally answer emails first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Truth is, those are the exact times of day when my brain is not at its best. Nor my mood. Especially the mornings. I receive between 2-300 emails a day at work, most of which demand an answer "right now." Another 200 or so at home, most of which do not.
I don't complain too much...my boss gets twice that many at work. But I apparently need to develop better time management skills, if I'm going to continue doing all that I do.
And THAT, dear friends, lead to a decision I've made about the next five years, which I will blog about next time. For now, it's 8am, and I need a shower before work.
Around noon today, I have an appointment with my tax accountant. I adore the man. Not only is he a good guy, but he worked as closely with me when my income was next to nothing as he does now, when it's higher. A friend at church, who used to own both businesses and rental properties recommended Chuck, and I've been going to him ever since.
I suspect I'll have to pay this year, as I did last year, but that's OK. It's one reason I have an appointment so early in the year. To give me time to save the money. :) Last year, however, the amount was so small, Chuck described it as the "break even point" - meaning that I had come very close to the ideal situation of paying enough without overpaying - which is what a refund really is: a loan you gave the government at no interest.
On the writing side, my editor emailed me about SANDALS, with some ideas for reworking the proposal. Her suggestions were quite valid, and I appreciate the input. Still have to work on line edits for FACE, but we're getting there.
Took a bit of time off last night to watch DIE HARD with someone who had never seen it before. Now THAT was fun.
All little steps, these are, climbing back up.
Thanks to everyone who asked me about the storms. I did spend part of the night in the closet. The sirens went off, but the real trouble moved north of me. We were left with some huge bits of hail and minor wind damage.
Reflective, I think, of other things going on in my life. I need to do some serious soul searching. There is a pressure, like a large metal plate pushing down on me, and much of it is my own doing. I'm spiralling again, seriously, fingernail time, and need to do some serious blessings counting.
Because I am blessed. More than most folks. I just need to get more rest and cling a little tighter.
As I mentioned, I have the line edits back on FACE, but I've stalled out on working on them, deadline looming. Need to take a few deep breaths, and plunge ahead. In the meantime, the day job is calling. I have a few problems and deadlines to address there, so I must get moving.
More later.
Migraines are gone; storms are here. We're under a tornado warning. I'm shutting down and hoping we don't lose power. I have the candles and oil lamp ready if we do.
'Night, folks.
In more ways than one, I'm afraid. I think I've caught the cold everyone's been fighting. My head feels like I've filled it full of wet corks.
More when I'm well. Right now it hurts to look at the screen.