Back On Line

When last I logged in and posted on Ahead of the Wave, photographs dominated, words a scarcity. Feeling there was little to say but at the same time much to express, I took a break not knowing if it would be my goodbye from blogging or an interim hiatus. Turns out the pull tugs at me again.  Initial relief from the perceived bondage of having to post something relevant, funny, sad, interesting or otherwise worthwhile gradually gave way to thoughts of potential blog fodder.

For weeks I've tried to imagine my re-entry post musing: do I just start writing again like nothing happened or do I try to explain myself?  Probably no one cares anyway; well, that's not exactly true since a few people (counted on one hand) noticed I wasn't writing regularly.

Anyway, there are many "things", going on.

Summer is well underway although you'd never know it by the weather. Today was foggy and cool until well after 10 AM; felt just like early fall. I'm glad that it's not hot but still....

Work absorbs me totally and even when I'm not physically on the job, I play like I am with the online capabilities of the computer. This schedule is unusual for me but in the last 21 days, I've been on call for 15 of those 24 hour blocks of time. I made it through; the first week tougher than the second owing to a cold caught on the flight back from Kaui'i in late June. Now I'm reveling in two days off and feeling light, slightly inspired, and relieved to have time to sit in my nightgown until noon. Delighting in the sound of the trucks picking up the trash, recycling and yard waste makes my home lighter too. I love to purge stuff, 5S, unload, get rid of, throw out and see more air between my things.

I have a list of small tasks to accomplish today; nothing drastic or dramatic. Buy stamps, deposit checks, vacuum carpets, empty the dishwasher, water the plants, write a few checks. Oh, and visit my Dad..... but that's a more complicated task as I try so hard to make a difference in the life of a frail  94 year old man. More on this later.

I'm thinking about the moment; the empty nester's quiet.

I'm thinking about my grown kids and about how our adult relationship changes but yet, doesn't change.

I'm learning about the Mediterranean diet and want desperately to eat healthier. I still am in love with diet Red Bull and pray it's not going to become a product linked with cancer of this or that down the line.

I'm thinking about consciously purchasing local products, supporting the local economy, and pondering where my food comes from. Why do we call pig, "pork" and cow, "beef"?.....and stuff like that. What really happens in the mainstream food processing plants of America?

I'm acknowledging the importance of communicating directly with the source of our human problems instead of gossiping and groaning to others (unless it's my significant other with whom I unload my angst because that doesn't count). :)

I'm pondering what it means to really know that when the sun sets each day there is one less day to live. What do I really want to do with the days left on my life's calendar?

More to come. I'm thinking again and (almost) on The Edge of Glory.

Stay tuned.