Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Snap

La Quinta in Daphne, Alabama


A little over two years ago, something in me snapped.

When something or someone snaps, it is implied to be unfortunate and often inevitable.
For several reasons, my life unfolded and as terrifying and so indescribably painful as it was, it just needed to happen. Inevitable, yes. Unfortunate, no.

Think about the mechanics of a snap (on a shirt or with your fingers). A certain amount of force must be applied in order for it to work. Once the force is applied, it gives way to sound...to a connection.

So, that's it. I snapped.

Once this happened, everything changed. My self perception and really my entire worldview shifted. I discovered that most of my time was spent straddling The Present Fence by lamenting the past or wringing my hands over the future.

I am trying (very hard) to walk the line of Today. Keeping an ear to the past for wisdom and and eye on the future for context, but to be here, right now is a daily, ongoing practice.  For instance, in the middle of this sentence, I just thought, "should I take the blue bag to Dominica or the red bag? If I take the blue bag, then blah, blah, blah."

In terms of my physical journey, my mom, dog (Hugo) and I traveled through 15 states in 4 days. MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA (Sleep Inn), MD, WV, VA, NC, SC, GA (cousin's house), AL (La Quinta), MS, LA, TEXAS. 2,100 miles. I think we passed 52 Cracker Barrels along the way, dining at 2 of them. Oaks, maples, eastern white pines, bald cypress, magnolias, and many unnerving signs reading:
Speed limits monitored by aircraft.



The next day I hit the ground running and made a sweet potato casserole on Christmas Day. We celebrated with friends ranging in age from 3-91 years young and a LOT of meat. Back strap venison, beef tenderloin, turkey, and stuffed quail. Happy Holidays y'all.


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