Sunday musings

After reading Brenda's blog here and her loss of a friend, I have started thinking about how we live our lives. I find that I often spend my time in "quiet desparation" as Thoreau wrote. The mundane seems to push me along rather than spending time doing those things I really love -- spending time with family, reading, knitting, spinning, weaving, or just day dreaming. In short, I am a Martha, caught up in the busyness of every day.

The past few weeks, several people we know, not close friends but acquaintances, have died or become seriously ill. All were in their 50s. This scares me to death (no pun intended!). I am not done with living. I am not done doing all the things I want to do! There are books to read, stories to tell, and projects of love that I want to complete. Why, then, do I (and I suspect most of us) spend time doing those things we don't like or want to do??

Last night, I took my blue enamel bucket, half-filled with water, and walked the farm and road with the dogs, collecting wild flowers. I spent a happy hour with the dogs and another half hour arranging flowers in various containers. When I was done, I placed each in a special place where I would see them -- the living room, bedroom, kitchen, dining table. It made me nearly giddy to see the little flower heads bobbing in the gentle breeze of the ceiling fan. And, this morning when I woke, there they were to greet me and say "Good morning." Love it!

All this is to say that today I have declared a cease work day. We are going to play in this house. I am not sure how or what, but we are going to do something we have a passion for and not do busywork. For me this could mean weaving off the scarf on the table loom or organizing my menus or writing in my journal or milling soap or organizing school work. For Don it could mean working in his studio or "watching" TV (through closed eyelids -- I don't understand this mystery). I will make bread and a picnic lunch. We have 30 acres so surely there is a lovely place to picnic -- even the porch will do. And we will take time to dream.

Have a peaceful Sunday, won't you?