Wow ~ nearly a year since last posting on this poor neglected blog. Not that there isn't enough to yammer on about, because Lord knows I have plenty to say, but the sitting down and the striking of the keys and the putting of words together in order to create complete thoughts just seem to end up at the bottom of every 'to do' list that exists in my life. Occasional spontaneous blurbs haven't even managed to find a place here...it's almost embarrassing for a woman who leans so hard on written words in order to thrive.
This morning, I find myself sitting at the kitchen table with a few minutes to steal. I am savoring my second cup of coffee while contemplating exactly what mood my day will provoke. You see, during the week, I wake to the early morning news - not always the best way to start one's day, unfortunately. The range of wretched current events makes it difficult to even get out of bed, but then attempting to face the day with a good attitude? Uh, no. Has the basic task of simply living become a futile effort? Some days, it certainly feels like it.
However, as I sit in solitude before the kids rise, I have the privilege of looking out on the desert. Dry and seemingly barren as it may be, it still lives, breathes and even thrives in some of the harshest conditions. It is beautiful in a plain and unassuming way; not necessarily promising anything grand, but assuringly constant in many regards. I have grown to crave this reassurement that only the parched grasses and maniacal cacti can bring; the daily resolve that even when the world's circumstances are trying to suck the life out of me, they have no viable chance of succeeding. If anything, my skin gets a little thicker and my defenses a might sharper, but above all, my faith in a myriad of forces roots that much deeper.
So, I may not be able to predict where my mood will swing from this tick forward. However, today's renewed realization of how initially unattractive things in our lives can often teach us the most valuable lessons has set me off in a positive direction, and that's a good thing.