It was a distraction I didn’t need.
How many times a day do you say that you don’t have time to do whatever it is you’re talking about?
For me, it feels like I say that at least once a day. There’s no time. No way I can make time for whatever it is.
So when the water in our house slowed to a trickle, I tried to solve the problem as quickly as possible. And when it didn’t work, I put it aside and did all of the other things that were demanding attention, figuring by the time I came back to it, I’d have come up with a good plan.
My brilliant plan, it turns out, was to call a plumber.
The thing is, he didn’t seem to have time, either. He called me back as he was driving home from another job, and we agreed he would come take a look at it the next morning.
And then he didn’t show up. I texted to see if anything was wrong, and when he replied an hour later, there was a long list of reasons why he didn’t make it and would be leaving soon to come.
The thing is, that’s normal life, isn’t it? We all have so many things we’re keeping track of at any given moment, it can be hard to stay focused on whatever it is we want (or need) to be doing. Even if it’s our job to focus on it.
Distractions are everywhere. Right now, for me, ordinarily simple jobs like washing the dishes have gotten more complicated, as I have to catch a pan full of water and heat it up on the stove.
That situation will be resolved soon enough, but it’s just a more dramatic version of what happens all the time, anyway.
Somehow, I have to filter out the distractions and keep moving forward on the things that matter.
No surprise, my favorite way to help myself focus that inner cacophony is to take a walk in the woods, but even getting to that point requires an effort of self-discipline sometimes.
I have to decide to let something else wait and focus on the task at hand.
And that is my exercise for myself this week – focusing on what I’m doing. I find it helps (for me at least) to make a list of the things I need to get done and prioritize them. That way, I can know that once I’m focused in on one thing, I’m not losing track of anything else.
It frees me up to spend twenty minutes just walking and enjoying the life of the world around me.
I hope you can find your time to focus, too!
Nature through the senses
Scent:
That’s what I get for talking up a non-native plant! Last week I mentioned that hellebores can offer a nice winter treat with their off-season flowers. Come to find out, they have recently been added to the North Carolina invasive plant list. We’ll need to stick with Witch Hazel for our winter flowers. But not to worry, the earliest spring flowers will be unveiling their glory soon.
Sight:
I ran across an interesting public garden as I was doing some research, and it would be a good place to spend some of that time in nature, if you find yourself in the area. The Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island are a lovely blend of formal and informal landscape, perfect for a stroll. Even if the “Elizabethan” aspect is a bit anachronistic.
Sound:
A minor mystery has been cleared up. All winter, I’ve been hearing an occasional scratch at the kitchen door. At first, I’d absent-mindedly think it was the dog asking to come in, only to find no one at the door and the dog comfortably curled up on the couch. After the first couple times, I’d look to see if the dog was inside, and then I’d go to the door trying to see who had scratched. A couple of days ago, I finally saw him – and I have to say, my son had guessed the answer correctly. He kept saying it was a bird scratching. Low and behold, hopping off toward the edge of the porch was a scruffy looking bird about the size of a small crow. I’m no expert on identifying birds, but a quick search makes me think our little friend is an Eastern Towhee. So if you find yourself wondering who on earth is scratching at your door, it just might be a bird.
Taste:
Believe it or not, we’re only about halfway through winter, at least according to the calendar. I’ve always thought the feeling of winter starts before the winter solstice, and the feeling of spring starts before spring equinox, but no one asked me. Still, one of the wonderful things we can find this time of year to enjoy is rose hips. There are tons of ways to use them, including as a cup of tea, and they are a good source of Vitamin C.
Touch:
Around here, we’ve had a progression of frozen ground to mud and back again. I’m always grateful when it warms up, but there’s something about those frozen spells that can be absolutely stunning. You can get an idea of how cold it is from the way the rhododendrons are holding their leaves. Here’s a photo of the rhodies behind our house telling us it was below freezing (because the leaves were drooping down). If it had been even colder, down around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the leaves would have been curled up in a long roll.
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