it’s the little things

I’ve struggled finding time (making time) to write here.  No excuses, but some possible explanations;  it has been nutso-busy with travel, busy time at the shop, and family stuff all wound up into a nice little stress bundle.  No question that I love my life and my work; I sometimes don’t like how much of it there is.

Yet I sometimes think “if I had a few months off to write, that’s be great.”  While it would be great, there’s a direct connection to the things that happen to me that spur the hippocampus*. If I don’t do stuff, I can’t write stuff.

While I might look at the last three months and see nothing significant, I also might decide to look with different, less critical eyes.  When I start to reflect on the things that have happened to me in the last month or two, a few things start to stand out, then the trickle becomes a steady stream, then I realize that a lot of little things have had an impact on my life in not so little or insignificant ways.

First,  I got a new canoe. This may seem weird to you, as a guy who goes by the handle of Canoelover.  Of course I got a new canoe recently.  But I need to recognize that it’s significant, especially this one.  A Nova Craft Prospector 16, 1998 model, cherry gunwales and trim. It’s in great condition; used but certainly not abused. I paddled it with the dog and that was it: right on the car. Now, I need another canoe like I need another…well, canoe. But I need to recognize that another canoe has joined the fleet and it makes me happy that it will have a second home.  I guess I didn’t purchase her so much as adopt her.

Second, I played on stage at the Outdoor Retailer Industry Jam. Again, something I haven’t done in a very long time (since high school) was to play in a jam band. It’s a little stressful to hang it out there, especially in front of your peers, but it was a blast.  Doing it again next year.  With larger and more powerful instruments.

Then there was the Blue Road Trip 2.0 with Son 1.0. We did the epic Blue Road Trip 1.0 about five years ago, and with Son 1.0 starting his senior year, it was high time to do it again.  This time we did Iowa, south to the corner of Missouri and into Kansas, all across Kansas to Colorado then up through Southern Utah to see what my SUWA membership is protecting.  It was great, a slice of Americana every time we turned a corner.  No interstates, just two-lane state highways and great food at non-chain restaurants.  Better, AND cheaper.

And, yes, Grant Wood used a real house as the background for American Gothic (see below — some liberties taken, we needed a paddler’s interpretation).  We also saw the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City.  We ate at the home of the world’s largest cinnamon roll in southwest Iowa (it was the size of a bundt cake).  We bought local at grocery stores and family establishments.  We had a great time.

I saw some cool dragonflies. I didn’t take too many pictures, of course, as I saw only a few new species, and I already had good ones of the ones I already captured last season. I did capture a nice macro of a Yellow-legged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum if you care).  This season I tried to just enjoy them more than cataloging them.  I think I was successful.

This may seem like a little bitty thing, but all our lives were enriched when Sarah spent a week or so with our family. Sarah has accumulated nicknames like NBD (non-biological daughter), Adopted Daughter 1.0, Kasetochter, etc.  Sarah is a dear friend of Daughter 1.0, who came to Madison for grad school.  She stayed with us for a week while house hunting, and it was wonderful; sort of like having a quieter version of Daughter 1.0. She earned her keep by playing our slightly out-of-tune piano, putting me to sleep on the couch.  She’s a gem, and I’m glad she’s here and part of our family.

I could go on, and have in other places more private than this space, but the more I think about it, the more things come to mind.  I suggest that thinking about little things might be a good strategy to bring more contentment to life.

Respectfully submitted,

Canoelover

*”Spurring the hippocampus” might be one of the most obscure neuroanatomic puns I’ve ever made.  It’s so obscure it’s only funny to me and maybe one other person, my neuro professor who doesn’t read this.  So in other words, I’m making myself laugh at your expense.