Routine Through the Changes

The front end of the eviction move is complete.  Our material possessions have been moved from the large house and deposited rather haphazardly in the small apartment. One good thing about transitioning from a six bedroom five bath house with a basement and two car garage and into a three bedroom one bath apartment with a one car garage is that it focuses the mind (and the eye) on the amount of stuff that one's managed to accumulate. I don't like it one bit, but in the end, I believe that being faced with this stark reality is going to lead to some positive changes in the way I and my roommates collect hard good.  I hope so anyway.

The move has also presented the opportunity to practice some unplanned digital minimalism.  That experience has been good for me as well. I still don't have internet service in the apartment.  Let's face it...it's difficult to set that kind of thing up when all the wall area is hemmed in by boxes.  Every now and then, when I can get access, I'll post an update to let my readers (the Chinese and Russians mostly) know "Vas es Los" until more routine access can be squeezed out of the moving boxes that have invaded my current abode.

About the only thing that hasn't gone through tectonic magnitude events over the last several weeks has been the daily practice.  Walking, calisthenics, the twenty six list, photography, and minimalism have proceeded apace.  I even added introducing myself to at least one new person a day and taking a cold shower every day to the mix.

The rest of the world has continued it's practice of moving forward as well, so if you find yourself fretting about the outcome of the upcoming election, which I believe is a comical farce no matter how the results bear out, by the way, pick up the remote, turn off the fear mongers, and join me outside for a stroll. You won't be alone. There are plenty of sane people out here doing the same thing.

Sunset Paddle Boarder - Fairhope, AL

Regardless of how ridiculous some of our fetishes become down here on earth, the universe has provided that the sun will rise and set every day. On evenings when the wind lays down, and the water beckons the more reasonable of our species to glide on it's surface, the peace and serenity flow through everything that the waning rays of Sol caress.

Sunset - Fairhope Pier - Fairhope, AL

Fairhope municipal pier is still standing, and the martins are still chasing down the last of the season's mosquitos in preparation for the upcoming winter. The cool fall air promises football and rain and a tempering of the summer heat and humidity. The gentle breeze speaks to the goodness that is all around us in the midst of the naysayers proclaiming doom of one political stripe or another.

North Beach Park Fountain - Fairhope, AL

Just when you think the light show is over and it's time to head back to wherever you started your journey from, you might glance over your shoulder and see something like this display as the day comes to a close.

I'm grateful for the changes that have come my way via circumstances beyond my control or influence. I'm grateful that the daily practice I've been building over the last year has been resilient enough to provide routine in the midst of external chaos.  I'm grateful for the sunsets, sunrises, storms, clouds, and people who have graced these last several weeks during my unintended sabbatical from writing. I'm not sure what's going to happen in the morning, but I sure am looking forward to finding out what waits around the next bend of the trail.