Simplify

Henry David Thoreau often discussed the idea that we need to simplify.  He lived in the early days of industrialism, and I can only think what he would think of our lives today if he thought we needed to simplify then over 170 years ago.  

I open with that because it has been quite some time since I have contributed to this space.   I could come up with lots of excuses like the end of the school year, Star Wars Celebration, working all summer, attending Gen Con, blah, blah, blah.  But seriously, as the picture that accompanies this post suggests, I tried to spend as much time simplifying and enjoying my hammock space outside this spring and summer. 

I spent quite a bit of time contemplating things while watching our twin, baby trees grow this summer.  I listened to a lot of music in the hammock.  I listened to a fantastic audiobook   I read many, many comic books in the hammock (yep, I took comic books into the summer heat and humidity).  I caught up on a lot of podcast episodes.  But most importantly, I grabbed up as much time as I could to clear my mind.  So, a casualty of so much alone time was my writing.  I also cut extra time thinking about and planning for the school year.  I cut out time that I would spend riding my bike on long rides.  I did not give my collections the attention that I normally would have.  I cut a lot of things from my life, even briefly, to help simplify my life.  

As I start to bring some things back, I start to feel a little bitter that it is stealing my time to think.  I feel that way because I am in conflict with the "fewer things" and things that I miss and love doing.  I am working to balance it, but writing is something I don't feel conflict with.  Writing and "Seeking Positivity in the Galaxy" brings me peace.  It helps me to process what is happening in and around my world.  

I appreciate those of you who have supported me and been encouraging me to write.  It may be a few and it may be a lot of you, but numbers aren't what is important.  What matters are the friendships and the support you give me to help me to simply simplify.  

Snow Days

When I was a kid, I loved snow days.  What kid doesn't love a surprise snow day from school?  I think, for me, it was less about missing a day of school and more about the opportunity to drop everything to head outside to sled, build a fort, or just goof around in the fluffy white stuff.  As an adult working in education, I still get to enjoy an occasional snow day, but they are enjoyable for different reasons.  

I love snow days now because snow is one thing that can slow people down or maybe even bring things to a halt.  Everything just kind of stops.  I don't hear cars rushing down the street early in the morning heading off to work.  If cars are going down the street it is slowly and quietly.  I love that a snow day lets me spend time with my family.  We are all relieved to not have hectic mornings of rushing around getting ready for the day.  We slow everything down.  We get to have meals together without someone missing or rushing out the door.  We get to talk to each other.  I get to watch my kids playing in the snow as I shovel the driveway.  In fact, with our last snow day, I shoveled much of the snow on the driveway into two large piles in the yard.  In one pile my kids dug a tunnel and "cave" to hang out in.  On the other pile, they created a small sledding path that ended up a "surfing" hill.  There aren't too many times in my day where I get to watch them having so much fun together.  The best is coming in and having some hot chocolate while laughing about all the dumb things that happened while surfing down the hill, "face plants," epic crashes, and distance records.  The snow day forces us to slow down to watch and listen to each other.  

Why do we need a snow day to do that?  Our lives are so packed from morning to night that many people that I see, myself included, rush around with no time to actually see other people.  I think it is evidenced by the number of people who constantly speed on the roads rolling right through stop signs and gunning it through yellow lights.  Sure, we see people and we might even get to work with people (that is sarcasm there), but how many times do we actually get to stop and talk with them beyond the "How are you doing?"  

I worked outside of education for about 10 years between being a student and becoming a teacher, and I never got a snow day.  There were plenty of opportunities for them, but my bosses never allowed it.  I didn't work in any crucial industry like public safety,  healthcare, or snowplowing, so I never understood why it was necessary to head into work when there are 6 inches or more of snow covering the ground.  It is too bad, because there are many mental health and family benefits to staying home on a snow day.  

A couple things come to mind.  If you don't get to enjoy a snow day, find ways to simplify a day at work or on a weekend.  I don't know how to suggest that, but we all know in our own worlds what can be put off or maybe even not started.  Shed things in your day, even just one day, to give yourself a chance to clear the fog and take a look around you.  Give it a try!  Give yourself and the people around you (family or coworkers) a surprise "snow day."  Give yourself and others around you a chance to look and listen to each other.  The benefits are great!  Enjoy a snow day!