The accountability factor

Early morning walk.

I am still every age that I have been. Because I was once a child, I am always a child. Because I was once a searching adolescent, given to moods and ecstasies, these are still part of me, and always will be… This does not mean that I ought to be trapped or enclosed in any of these ages…the delayed adolescent, the childish adult, but that they are in me to be drawn on; to forget is a form of suicide… Far too many people misunderstand what *putting away childish things* means, and think that forgetting what it is like to think and feel and touch and smell and taste and see and hear like a three-year-old or a thirteen-year-old or a twenty-three-year-old means being grownup. When I’m with these people I, like the kids, feel that if this is what it means to be a grown-up, then I don’t ever want to be one. Instead of which, if I can retain a child’s awareness and joy, and *be* fifty-one, then I will really learn what it means to be grownup.

~ Madeleine L’Engle

Counting pumpkins.

I had ideas for this post, places I wanted to go based on current events.  Then I resumed the never-ending task of sorting through my photos, and decided to put aside those ideas for another day.  Looking at photos of Little Wookie, even those that don’t show his face, are reminders of how magical and joyful childhood can be and although I do have some grown-up things I might write about, it won’t be anything of a really serious nature.

Rolling around in a “pool” of corn.

M and I were up quite early this morning.  Before the break of dawn.  There was a rocket launch from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility scheduled for 7:37 this morning with a five minute window (meaning that they only had five minutes after that time to launch or they would have to scrub it).  The weather was perfect.   The folks at Wallops, who had been up all night, were ready to go and the countdown had begun.  One minute before launch, they had to abort due to a rogue aircraft flying in restricted airspace (the “hazard zone”).  Gahhh!  During warm weather launches, they’ve been  cancelled occasionally due to a boat in the hazard area, usually some guy in a sailboat who didn’t get word of the launch.  This time it was a personal aircraft flying about six miles offshore at an altitude of 500 feet.  Gotta wonder what the heck they were doing since the FAA issues notices about airspace restrictions well in advance of the launches.  I do hope they found out who it was and issued some sort of fine or ticket or whatever it is they do when aviators are flying in restricted airspace.  I can’t begin to imagine how much it cost to scrub the launch and start over again.

One more from the corn pool.  I kind of wished they had one of these for the adults to play in.

If you’re wondering why there is only a five minute window of opportunity, the rocket is carrying 7,700 lbs. of supplies for the International Space Station (ISS), and they time it to meet up with the ISS a few days later.  Rumor has it that in addition to food, science experiments, and other supplies, there are some holiday gifts for the folks in the ISS, but I am unable to verify that rumor.

Fallen leaves at sunrise.

It was cold out there near the water this morning.  It stayed a steady 25°F the entire time we were at the viewing area we picked out.  This is the first launch I’ve attended since the explosion in October of 2014.  In case you missed the excitement of that adventure, you can find photos I took from the explosive event here.  It was a similar type of rocket and the same type of mission as they had scheduled for today.  Today’s launch has been rescheduled for tomorrow.  Fingers crossed that all goes well.  M and I plan to be there to watch.

Cones on one of the spruce trees we planted over a decade ago. (Breezy Acres, The Bogs, Ohio)

Since we were already up and about and in Virginia, M and I decided to drive out to an area we’ve heard about where, it is said, you can find sea glass.  I can’t tell you where that area is because the people who comb the beaches for sea glass hold their secret places dear and rarely let anyone else know where to look.  In other words, it’s a secret.  It is a good secret, too.  I came home with a pocket filled with sea glass.  I threw back more than I took, some of the glass not quite ready for harvesting.  And I left some nice pieces behind for the next person.

Row of trees by the pond.

You might be wondering about the title of this post.  I’d almost forgotten about it.  Accountability.  I’ve been sliding a bit when it comes to my yoga and meditation practices.  I did so well during the Forty Early Mornings challenge and then, well, I started to do the bare minimum most days just to be able to tell myself I did it.  The bare minimum would be all well and good if the reasons behind a bare minimum practice were all well and good.  Unfortunately, the reason has been pure laziness on my part.  I’m not sure why that happens.  It’s not that I’ve lost my enthusiasm for yoga or meditation practices.  I think it’s a matter of a lack of accountability to anyone other than myself.  That’s silly, isn’t it?  I get on the mat or cushion for myself, not for anyone else, so I should be able to do so without having to report in to someone else.

In the wind.

There is also the matter of training for long walks.  I have not been doing a good job with that project/challenge, either.  One thing I need to do is invest in a good pedometer.  The one I have isn’t working well.  It is disappointing to walk for forty minutes and find that the pedometer quit at .09 miles.  I know that from here to the church-in-the-shire and back is two miles so I also know the pedometer is horribly inaccurate.

Red and green glow.

I have a birthday coming up next month, and figure that’s as good a date as any to start something new.  I am thinking about using my birthday as an excuse to get on board with a year-long challenge to help with my inner enthusiasm on the days that it wanes.  I haven’t quite worked out the details yet, but it will involve daily practices of yoga, meditation, and walking.  I might use Instagram to keep me going since it’s easy to post pictures from my phone.

A’float.

I suppose that’s enough from me on this cold and breezy Saturday.  Today’s photos are from our trip out to NE Ohio last month, and were taken at Breezy Acres (our old home) or, in the case of the pumpkin patch and corn pool, somewhere near Breezy Acres.  I did take some photos of the rocket this morning, but I’ll save those for tomorrow or Monday.  Hopefully, I’ll get some of the launch tomorrow.

The cherry tree at the back of the pond.

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend.  Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

Creating ripples.

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy:  431)  Watching the sunrise this morning on our way to the viewing area.  432)  Second breakfast (we needed one after having first breakfast around 5:30 AM).  433)  Coconut flavored seltzer water.  434)  The first frost of the season.  435)  Putting things away in the recently renovated office.  It’s a good room to spend time in now that the makeover is almost completed.

Grounded.