“You’re sick,” said Deb.
She shielded her morning coffee from my wheezing and sneezing and coughing, which had commenced a couple of hours earlier. She had a look of concern on her face.
“You sound sick,” she repeated.
My body fired warning shots all day yesterday. I took note but not heed. I didn’t adjust and I didn’t medicate. And so here I am.
In many ways, and in this Life of ours, nothing changes. Nothing stops. Being “sick,” whatever form that takes, isn’t a pass — responsibilities remain.
My spirits are high. My discipline is intact. I got done today what needed doing, all while going easier on myself.
I adjusted. (I didn’t medicate.)
The southwest wind was really whipping on this Wednesday, gusting to 30mph but not at all chilly thanks to temperatures in the low 60s. While doing chores late this morning, I noticed that the strong blow, in just a few hours, had stripped bare many of the marcescent oaks.
Looking west, I took in the best view of the valley I’ve had in eight or nine months.
I decided that I felt up to a walk. Maybe it’d do me good — and if it didn’t, so what? I fetched my walking stick from the cabin and headed up the trail toward Dancing Tree.
From that slope, I could see the mountains beyond Flippin to the north and the high terrain that rises past Yellville to the west. The whole character of the place changes this time of year to reveal that we’re not just on The Mountain — we live in the mountains.
As usual, my photos don’t convey that sense, that presence.
As I strolled the woods, I came across a couple of stacks of bucked cedar I’d left while clearing earlier in the year. I also found another tornado-downed oak limb, a respectably substantial one worth harvesting for firewood.
I dropped a waypoint pin on my Gaia GPS map so I can return to it later this winter. Hauling it out should be easy, since it’s not far off the buggy trail.
When Deb messaged me during her lunch break, I was resting among the rocks at The Amphitheater, gazing out over the Ozarkansas landscape.
“Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water.”
Zen Proverb
I don’t suppose the walk did me any harm, physically. It didn’t set me back or anything.
Being about in the woods fed my soul, of course.
The frustration gnaws at me. I spend more time than I’d like recovering or healing after working. Every effort seems to come with a price that I’m not accustomed to paying. And when some random bug sneaks up on me, as it appears has happened this week, I fume.
I love this Life. I love the work, every bit of it. And I’ll be damned if aches or pains or sniffles are gonna stop me.
(It may slow me down a little bit, however.)
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB