We recently added a "blackboard accent wall" to our kitchen. It broadcasts my to-do list to any soul who enters our home. The space isn't huge, and I had hoped its modest size would limit the number of tasks I would accumulate. Unfortunately, it's just helped me master my minute-chalk-script. Some chores (taxes) I think I've completed, but somehow I keep sticking them back on, unsatisfied by the results of my efforts. Others (gardening), taunt me with the idea of the satisfaction they are sure to bring--after I put in the requisite research and prep-work. Currently there are eight starred 'priority' items on my board (down from 12 yesterday [Yay for me!]), with another 12 'lesser' duties. Times like these can only be described as drudgery.
So, it should come as no surprise that when Premal suggested that instead of his flying to San Diego solo for a short blip at a medical conference we road trip out together, I jumped at the notion. Working from home can be isolating, but the freedom to wander about as long as I get my projects done does a lot to lessen the monotony of life in general.
True to his form, Premal meticulously mapped out our route. And true to my form, I considered his plans more of a loose suggestion. We ended up spending a day en route hiking Zion National Park, and it turned out to be just the break we both needed. The sun was warm, the air was crisp, and we couldn't have been a merrier couple trekking through one of the most glorious corners of the earth.
Life is life. At times it is mundane, at others it's exhilarating. But really, it is always magical. Our jaunt in the desert woke me up to the wonders of our life at home. And that's the glory of it all. Every little thing we do is a miracle in and of itself, whether it be hiking a mountain, doing ones taxes (online!!!), or simply waking from a dream on a weekday morning. I am so grateful to have be roused--for now--from my apathy at the awesome world around me. And here's to hoping that next time I get mired in the lists of life and such and so-and-so, there'll be another impromptu road trip to wake me up.
