A Friday farrago

Getting ready to launch.

At every moment you choose yourself. But do you choose your self? Body and soul contain a thousand possibilities out of which you can build many I’s. But in one of them is there a congruence of the elector and the elected. Only one – which you will never find until you have excluded all those superficial and fleeting possibilities of being and doing with which you toy, out of curiosity or wonder or greed, and which hinder you from casting anchor in the experience of the mystery of life, and the consciousness of the talent entrusted to you which is your I.

~Dag Hammarskjöld

One cloudy morning.

It has been a while since I’ve done a Friday farrago post.  I have quite a few photos I want to share with you, from a kayaking adventure to images of the flooding on the Eastern Shore to walks around the ranch, that I didn’t think they would all fit in one coffee share post.  Today is a resting day for me (more on that in a bit) so it’s perfect for sorting through photographs, and writing up a blog post.

In case you don’t recognize it from out on the water, that’s the “eagle tree” at the Point on the far right of the image.

Every day since Tuesday has been a rest day for me this week.  I have managed to get sick again.  Picture me rolling my eyes as I type that.  It does seem to be a recurring theme with me lately.  Early Monday evening, after a full day of feeling fine and dandy, I was struck — BAM! as suddenly as lightning — with the flu.  It was that quick.  I have never in my life experienced such a thing.  Usually when I catch a cold or the flu, I can feel it coming on.  That was not the case this time around.  One moment I was healthy as can be (well, maybe not, now that I have the hindsight to see), the next moment I was feverish with terrible aches and pains.  Tuesday was so awful in terms of the aches and pains that I seriously considered going to the ER to see if they could give me a shot of something to make it stop for a while.  My temperature peaked out around 102°F which is high for me since I’m usually in the upper 96, lower 97 range.  I know.  That’s low.  I could be an alien.  (Fair warning:  That link leads to an article about blood types that has been shared on Facebook.  I mention this because those kind of articles tend to come with lots of ads, and if you’re avoiding those kind of websites, you’ll want to avoid this one.)

Paddling along.

I bring it up because there has been something incredibly healing about this week of rest and recuperation, and I find myself feeling almost grateful for the opportunity this challenge has presented.  I have not forgotten about the pain and suffering of Tuesday, Mr. Influenza, so don’t think you’re completely off the hook.  Nonetheless, some good has come of it.

Not a view I usually see at the Point.

A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.

~ James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

As a woman thinketh, too.  On Monday before the flu bowled me over, I had a lot of (petty) things on my mind.  Stories, dramas, even melodramas were taking place inside my head.  Some of it, maybe most of it, was old news being replayed for my viewing displeasure.  Silly mind.  Silly me.  Then I fell ill and the stories dropped.  Just like that.  BAM!  As quickly as a lightning strike.  It was, now that I look back on it, almost a spiritual experience.

One more look at the grasses before we leave the water near the Point.

Illness has also done what illness can sometimes do if we allow it:  remind me of my mortality and of how good my life really is when I stop letting the stories in my mind run (and ruin) the show.  It is also a good reminder to take care of this body I have because I’m not getting another one, at least not for this particular lifetime (and if there are other lifetimes, they are no concern of mine when it comes to my current life).  The flu is the flu and I might not have been able to avoid it, but it could have been worse if I hadn’t already been exercising, eating good food (including lots of fresh vegetables and fruit), and doing other Good Things.

Picnic area flooded at Assateague Island State Park.

Sorry… my mind was wandering… one time it went all the way to Venus and ordered a meal I couldn’t pay for.

~ Steven Wright

I honestly did wander off there for a moment, and lost the thread I meant to weave through this post of words and images.  Lessons learned was the idea of it.  There have been others (lessons) this week.  Learning to ask for help was one.  Sleeping as needed was another.  I am pretty sure I’ve reduced my lifetime sleep deficit this week.  I’ve been napping and going to bed early and sleeping at night for long, long stretches once my fever broke on Wednesday.  It’s the best sleep I’ve had in years.

Hurry! The water is still warm! Let’s go for one last swim of the season.

The replenishing thing that comes with a nap — you end up with two mornings in a day.

~ Pete Hamill

Well, I’m quickly fading and my body is saying it’s time for another nap.  Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I’ll be back sometime this weekend for the coffee chat.  Unless I’m busy napping.  😉  I don’t think we’ll see much of a sunset tonight.  We’ve been under heavy cloudy cover this afternoon.  Can you believe that sunset is now at 6:36 PM?  Gosh, that seems so early.  I’ll keep an eye out.  If it looks like the clouds might clear to the west, I’ll let you know and we can meet down at the Point.  I haven’t watched a sunset from anywhere except the sofa in the living room this week.  It would be nice to get out for a little walk on the beach.

You need a boat to get to the boats. The dock is underwater. Pocomoke River State Park.

The photos for this post were taken last Sunday when M and I went kayaking in the morning, to the beach in the afternoon, and then to a state park to see some of the flooding on our way home from Assateague.

“Caution: Ramp ends here.”

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

There is a parking lot and dock under all this water.

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy:  16) Although not out of the woods yet, it seems Florida has not been ravaged by Hurricane Matthew as much as expected/predicted, and friends have checked in on Facebook (not always the root of all evil) to say they are safe.  17) No visits from Matthew are expected here.  18) My beloved M who has been amazing this week.  19) Short walks, fresh air, and gradually recovering.  20) Lots of good soups to help with the healing process (including a scrumptious butternut squash and chipotle soup for last night’s dinner).

One from the garden, just to ground us after all that water.

Reminder:  Walktober 2016 will take place between October 15 through the 23, with submissions due by October 25.  I will post an official “link here” walk on or around October 15.  Not sure what Walktober is or if you want to join?  Follow the link over in the sidebar (it’s the third widget up from the bottom labeled “Join us in October!”).  If the dates don’t suit you for some reason, let me know.  I’ll be glad to extend them.  I’m easy that way.