Growing Into Change

Today started off just right with dawn sunrise over the Washington Navy Yard.

Dawn Breaking over the Washington Navy Yard

The workday progressed as these things often do with too many meetings and far too much unnecessary drama, but there were lighthearted moments and quiet times of reflection. We hosted a baby shower for two soon-to-be fathers of daughters (as long as the sonograms are to be believed anyway). I took the well placed critique of the sense of entitlement displayed by many of her co-workers during previous events and stuck around to clean up the food and wash and dry a few dishes. That felt pretty good, and represented one of the more productive things I accomplished in the 10 hours I spent in the office.

After work, I drove to one of the many book donation boxes that I scoped out last Sunday. When I arrived, I executed the seventh day of my initial minimalism experiment.

Robert Heinlein Rainbow - Seven Books Moving on to a New Home (ONe is a Michael Crichton, but who's counting?)

Six weeks ago, I would not have even considered the possibility of divesting myself of the remaining books in the Robert Heinlein section of my library. All of these books, even the Michael Crichton  represent material things that I've kept because they define who I have become over the years. The words these men wrote have shaped the way I view the world, and I suppose it was comforting to have the physical books to remind me of both my past and how I've gotten to this place in time and space.

Today, one week into this minimalism experiment, my reaction to moving on from these relics of an earlier time and place felt completely different. As I placed them into the donation bin, I felt like a small weight had been lifted. Their words, or the ones that have shaped my thinking anyway, are still with me. Though the memories will likely fade over time, the overall rudder that they've given my life will remain as a course correction that pushed me to where I am today. The books are gone, and it's opened up space in my life and on the shelf for a new experience that will shape who I'll become in the future. A week of practice can make a great deal of difference, and today I felt I was growing into change. I'm left to wonder if the lack of momentum I felt several days ago was merely a shifting of course. On a sailboat, a shift of course invariably leads to a loss of momentum, but sometimes, you just have to tack to follow the course to a destination over the horizon.

The day ended with a sunset over College Creek.

Evening Twilight Settles Over College Creek

With the rise and fall of the sun as the bookends to a productive day peppered with progress, I eagerly anticipate what the passage of Sol across the bend of the earth tomorrow will reveal.