October 22, 2019
October has been a fun but busy month, mostly due to travel. Now that I’m back home, I’m feeling pushed to get things done like wash and pay bills, and I don’t have much down time. Writing has taken a back seat for weeks now, and I’m having a hard time getting back into the habit. I don’t like when I let business boss my priorities around and end up not doing what makes me feel vital and grounded.
Hiking, like writing, is both fun and good for me. This past Sunday my friend Chris and I went for a hike at Kings Mountain. Spending time with Chris is always worthwhile, and we have done this particular hike many times. She lives in Fort Mill and I live in Charlotte, so we meet at a half way point and then drive the rest of the way together. On our way back to my car, we made a quick detour to Target.
As I hopped out of the car, a flash of bright yellow against the dark asphalt of the parking lot caught my eye. It was a No. 2 lead pencil. The poor thing had been run over by a car at least once, the paint chipped off and the wood splintered in spots. Finding this pencil was actually a repeat oracle for me, as several years ago I was in a similar fix: not writing, procrastinating and avoiding posting on my blog. I found a pencil then, too, while on a walk near an elementary school. It struck me the same way, this strange encouragement to, well, write! I had to smile at the added drama of this one, absentmindedly dropped, neglected and tattered, crushed but still usable.
And look at me, two days later, feeling happy as I drink a cup of coffee at my favorite shop and type out my next post. I needed that nudge.
NN
October has been a fun but busy month, mostly due to travel. Now that I’m back home, I’m feeling pushed to get things done like wash and pay bills, and I don’t have much down time. Writing has taken a back seat for weeks now, and I’m having a hard time getting back into the habit. I don’t like when I let business boss my priorities around and end up not doing what makes me feel vital and grounded.
Hiking, like writing, is both fun and good for me. This past Sunday my friend Chris and I went for a hike at Kings Mountain. Spending time with Chris is always worthwhile, and we have done this particular hike many times. She lives in Fort Mill and I live in Charlotte, so we meet at a half way point and then drive the rest of the way together. On our way back to my car, we made a quick detour to Target.
As I hopped out of the car, a flash of bright yellow against the dark asphalt of the parking lot caught my eye. It was a No. 2 lead pencil. The poor thing had been run over by a car at least once, the paint chipped off and the wood splintered in spots. Finding this pencil was actually a repeat oracle for me, as several years ago I was in a similar fix: not writing, procrastinating and avoiding posting on my blog. I found a pencil then, too, while on a walk near an elementary school. It struck me the same way, this strange encouragement to, well, write! I had to smile at the added drama of this one, absentmindedly dropped, neglected and tattered, crushed but still usable.
And look at me, two days later, feeling happy as I drink a cup of coffee at my favorite shop and type out my next post. I needed that nudge.
NN