A friend and I were talking yesterday about our respective time spent along the Appalachian Trail and how it provided an overwhelming amount of time – space – to allow our minds to just wander. For hours. Having spent months outside walking, it turns out we both felt the need sometimes to even assign ourselves topics to think about during the day so the space would not be wasted. Both of our conclusions were that we missed that feeling. Because life in the real world is harried. In a bit of hyperbole, I told her I could remember a whole day that had gone by on the trail and all I had contemplated were bumble bees. A whole day spent thinking about bees. Without interruption. How delightful.
On this second day of February when so many of us find ourselves staring out at an abundance of pure and dazzling white snow, the evidence is glaring right back at me. We could all use a little more space in our lives. White, empty space. A little blankness to let our minds wander. To let the light in.
I spent a great deal of time over the holiday season catching up on things that had gone undone, unnoticed throughout the busy year and getting rid of the clutter (Literally too – four trips to Goodwill!) to create more open space. And, while I’ve been a little quiet here on the blog so far this year, it’s been time well spent. I’ve considered writing my goals for the year here for you all to see but, for now, I’ll share just one. My goal is to have a little more space this year. More balance. More time to think about things like bumble bees. And I have this goal so that I might be able to write here more thoughtfully and share that space with you. Because, if there’s any way I can help create a blank spot for you to share in the pondering of little things in life that make you smile, then that is what I’d like to do.
