Last Night in Mobile

I dearly wish my last night in Mobile (Alabama) for an evening or two had a dwarf, a beautiful blue-eyed brunette with alabaster skin, and a Ducati racing machine. I didn't even see one of those things today, much less have a tale to tell of them.  This quick snapshot of the skyline presented itself to me about half way through the morning, but that's about as exciting as things got over the course of the workday.

Mobile, Alabama

The wind was clipping along out of the north, and it was blowing all the water right out of the mouth of the bay and raising small whitecaps on the river. The weather was the primary reason we stayed in off the Gulf of Mexico today, but I was grateful for a short day in the office and the chance to take a little pause in the torrent of activity we've been riding for the last couple of weeks.

Although my wanderings failed to produce a story worthy of weeks of fantasies, today was  a solid day. Stout like a thick wood table, I believe I'll look back on the day as the anchor point of the week. I'm also quite keen to experience tomorrow and the new adventure that will likely unfold.

Becoming Unstuck

I found myself reflecting on the concept of being stuck over the last several days. I've been coming through the process of becoming unstuck through the evolution of the last weeks events. It's difficult. It's difficult because the uncertainty that has always existed around me is now undeniably revealed, and I'm finding the process a little bit unnerving.

One thing that's kept me focused on what I believe is the right path has been my reliance on my daily practice. Today, I realized that I had seven items to move past, and even though I hadn't planned how that would play out, I found the items and got rid of them.

Minimalism - Day 7 - Alabama

I've been carrying all of these items around with me in my luggage for a minimum of three months. The oldest item is from well over a year ago. When I realized I hadn't planned my divestment earlier this afternoon, I was a bit worried that I'd be able to find seven things that I was ready to let go. Once I started, it only took a few minutes, and I only had to look in two locations to find them.

This small act of moving forward in the face of unexpected uncertainty has become a model, in my mind, for the change that's about to occur as I become unstuck from the familiar.

Additionally, I stuck with my calisthenics, and furthered the practice of letting go of some of my ties to my work. It felt a bit like leaning into discomfort, but the process of taking that step is getting easier.

I'm rambling now, so I think I'll wrap up.  I'm looking forward to the adventure of tomorrow.

They Call It a Trial and Not a Kegger for A Reason

Today proved to be a long, tiring, and thankfully, productive day.  I hit the trail early and put some miles under the soles of my feet and welcomed the dawn toward the end of my walk.

Sunrise over Spanish Fort, AL

Bringing a ship to life and demonstrating it the an independent inspection team in a process known as acceptance trials consumed the rest of the day up until a bit after nine pm. I guess there's a reason they call it a trial and not a kegger, although I think that a party might be a better way to go about the task.

Late in the afternoon, a series of thunderstorms rolled across the area.

Mobile, AL skyline as the storm tapered off

The rain broke through the oppressive humidity about thirty minutes before sunset, and we wrapped up the day bathed in the cool beauty of the air freshened by the rain.

Clouds Breaking as the Sun Sets over Mobile

Mother Nature in all Her Glory - Mobile, AL

Fire Mingling with Water - Mobile, AL

I managed to keep up with the daily practices and still put in a pretty full day's work tackling problems. I'm looking forward to what tomorrow may reveal.

Returning to Normal

Getting back into the swing of things really started to kick into high gear today. For the first time, I interacted with two colleagues who apparently didn't realize that I had not been promoted.  The first one congratulated me on making the cut. That was a bittersweet revelation because I really respect this guy and it seemed that he was a little surprised things had broken left when he thought they'd broken write.  The second one was a well meaning but clueless gent whom babbled on about the most recent decisions without acknowledging I might have even been in the mix.  I kept my tongue and moved on with this lad.  Not advertising my apparent misfortuned seemed the best course of action for him.

All that aside, today was the first day that the recent state of events did not linger at the forefront of my mind. I found enough action afoot to manage to lend a hand without being overbearing or inserting myself in situations that did not require my input. I believe that's the course I will chart going forward. I'm finding that not pursuing things that are outside my scope of responsibility feels like quite a relief.

I also got back to thinking about walking, calisthenics, and photography.

Foggy Sunrise - Mobile, AL

This evening, I headed back into the office to pick up my items for the daily practice of minimalism, and while on the road came across this vista that begged to be captured.

Mobile, AL Skyline with Austal Ship Assembly Bay in the Foreground

This picture doesn't quite to justice to the scene that I stumbled upon, but it gives some idea of the stark industrial beauty of the riverfront landscape in Mobile, AL after the sun has set. After stopping to take in the sights, I picked up my candidates for divestment and headed back to the hotel.

Minimalism Day 5 - Alabama Edition

I left five books in the business center of the hotel. After a bit of arranging, I got them to sit a little like a miniature library. I caught myself imagining that this might become an informal version of the Little Free Library concept. If you see something you like, take it while you're on the road. If you finish something while you're here, drop it off for the next traveller. Perhaps we can all save ourselves nine or ten dollars at the airport when we've exhausted our reading material just before catching the next plane to wherever we're headed.  

I'll track it for the time I'm here, and if it lasts or changes let you know.  This little book exchange hasn't been sanctioned by the hotel, so it would not surprise me to see it disappear entirely in relatively short order, but perhaps it will remain. If it does, I look forward to observing the ebb and flow of the reading material of my fellow travellers. One way or another, my pack got just a little bit lighter, and I now have something to look forward to observing, my own little literary experiment if you will, as the day unfolds tomorrow.