Routines

Two months. You’d be surprised how much change you can pack into two months.

I’ve been fairly quiet on the blogging front since we left Canmore, but actually because of a glut of new material rather than a lack thereof. It’s challenging to distill everything that has happened or that I’ve learned, so I’ve decided that unless I’m to keep all of this bottled up I’m going to need to pick small, salient points to deliver. Today, my focus is on practice.

Before we hit the road to come west I was on fairly solid footing. Everyday I woke up, went through my routine, took the dogs out for a walk before going to work. In Maggie’s aging condition our walks were simply going across the street to the park and laying down, hopefully in the sun. I would drop her leash and leave her to her devices and take Dublin a touch farther. It wouldn’t be long before he realized Maggie wasn’t coming, so we would head back to her standing ground and sit in the grass with her. I would take this chance to stand facing the forest and give my thanks for the day, and I would breath in deeply the faint scent of pine and the waning fragrance of late summer poplar trees.

This was part of my practice. A small thing that helped me shake off the cobwebs of morning doubt and start my day. There were days when these moments would resonant and hit the surface throughout, helping me navigate my hours. And there were other days when they would simply be forgotten, left out on the lawn as I began the frustration of begging Maggie to come inside. But regardless, it was a practice, something grounding and kind.

When we moved we lost all semblance of routine. That much is a given. I’ve been wandering in the forests doing some shinrin-yoku, but in two months I’ve done this maybe three times. I’ve been riding my mountain bike, but again I think I’ve been out three or four times since we moved. I’ve gone for two runs, and one decent ski. I express my gratitude everyday when I wake, but it’s usually with a weak, faltering voice.

It’s been two months. If I’m to get back my mental and physical fitness it’s going to take a lot more discipline than I’ve been exerting. I know that I’ve undermined what was familiar to me, and I hold onto this awareness and know also that fitness and mental strength are important to me, and that it’s time to get back at it.