Notes from Below Sea Level
Life on the Bayou
Not sure why but yesterday felt a bit like the Thoreau in me sneaking away from the cabin on the pond to visit my family and indulging in a hot meal and lively conversation before heading back to the woods—except for the social experiment part of the equation (or even an inkling of how to improve the manufacturing of pencils). Honestly, though, my view of life these days would be less Henry Thoreau’s Walden: Life in the Woods and more Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, less contemplative or insightful and more stumbling around for a foothold or shelter from impending rains. On the plus side, the weather here on the Gulf Coast has been mild and less humid, work had no catastrophes so far this week, and I just enjoyed a Thursday break during a particularly trying week. Let’s call it even.
If you haven’t read Waldon, I would recommend it. Especially if you first read it as a young student and part of an assignment. I believe it’s one of those books that reveals meaning to those that have lived a bit and can reflect on that life. In the first section of the book (where he lays out his purpose for living on the pond, he reflects on the similarity of sights he sees in Concord, Massachusetts and those a traveler might see in India or a reader of classics might learn of the Twelve Labors of Hercules: “I see young men…whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of.” For me, this sentence sets up Thoreau’s point of view at the time and establishes the vantage point from which he will seek to find a deeper meaning in life—or at least a bit of insight from quieting the drums of everydayness and routine.
We should all do a bit of reflection at various stages of our lives. I’m not advocating building a cabin in the woods and retreating for two years, but I would push for genuine effort to take time away from whatever life you have (be it student, worker, retiree) and focus on finding value in yourself. Abandon your home and comforts for a short time and do anything but keep yourself busy; decide what you would do if you suddenly were given a billion dollars or what you would grab if you could take only three things from your home before the wildfires took the rest. Reread a book that had a profound impact on your younger self. Record your hopes and dreams and regrets honestly and without the added sugar we use to make us more palatable. Write one true sentence.
A mercifully short note today (and I can hear that collective sigh, you realize) as I end here to prepare for work—violating every invocation or suggestion I’ve just made. Because, if we can’t be at least a tad hypocritical, we would never share the little we might have to offer. In defiance of my earlier brag on November’s weather, the leading edge of a cold front has just passed over my patio and chilled rains have begun. The far-off lightning flashes are making their presence known and I need to go in and get a sweater.
Cheers everyone and here’s to having a day worth remembering.
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Be well, be kind, and appreciate the love you have in your life.
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Grab your coffee or tea and join us, please.
What's on your mind this morning?
