Dirt

Sometimes I forget about outside, and how nice it is to be in the sun, feel the wet grass, dig in the dirt.  In the morning- getting up long before light- I am used to diving into the world, reading the news, writing, checking school mails, catching up on facebook, adding to pinterest.  I drink my tea and coffee, eat my breakfast (right now I am obsessed with Wasa bread with cream cheese.  For some reason I am all about 'crunch', which is odd for me).  I usually put off showering to the end, then scramble off to school.  After I kiss the husband of course, and assure him that "dogs are out, cats in, coffee is on" and leave him a note on the computer about what is happening after school on that day. Sometimes he is already awake and we watch a show, drink coffee, talk- sometimes I wake him up as I am leaving so he can go where he needs to go- but today I have made an executive decision that he needs a day off.  He has been working full steam and is tired and sore- today is supposed to be full of rain and thunder, a warm dark day and I think he should spend it in his chair with his shows and his cookies.  

I too was tempted (severely) this morning to skip school- I woke up tired, which is amazing.  When I got home yesterday (after school and groceries) I took a 'quick nap' (about 2 1/2 hours) then ate dinner and was back to bed in half an hour.  Deep sleep full of dreams of making things, making students make things, eating...the usual.  When I woke up I did my normal routine- but through a deep green brain-fog, not able to think or write or even keep my head up.  Eventually I gave up trying to work, did the dishes, took a shower an washed the hair, dressed (new green t-shirt with black cat and design of four leaf clovers and jeans.  We are dying, painting, being messy so jeans will be acceptable)... then, still sleepy, I went outside to repot the geraniums so they could benefit from today's rain.  It didn't take long- about 15 minutes to transplant them into the concrete planters, then went around dead heading the other flowers, picked (carefully) one of the mystery plants to take to school to get the horticulture teacher to identify.  (I am leery of these plants- I can't identify them in books or internet, they have spikes/thorns, spread like wildfire, grow tall, have beautiful purple flowers...but I suspect that they are the reason that I get itchy when I work outside....need to know if they are kill or keep).  Then back inside again for coffee and wasa bread.

I've finally woken up- the fog has cleared, and I'm ready to go.  Just that quick turn about the yarden, the digging and planting and *doing* worked magic and has me freshly motivated.  I need to remember that- the seasons are changing and I don't need to trap myself inside all the time anymore.  There is no reason that I can't do coffee on the porch, walk around the yarden, even take Evie outside (my little computer) to check the news.  I wish I was as motivated as Barbie, and able to get up and walk in the morning- I used to on the beach- but here I can't seem to make myself do it for some reason.  Oh, I have a plethora of excuses- number one being bugs-that-bite, number two being that walking down a dark country road in the early morning is...well, on one hand it is safe enough, on the other people tend to shoot things around here. (I can't keep up with the hunting seasons- it may or may not be turkey time- but people in this neighborhood shoot constantly- target practice, wild hogs, I don't know what- just not me or my doggs please).  

Still and all, I have learned something today- something that I knew long ago about grace in action, and that doing with the body is just as important as doing with the mind.  As the manz says- "Outside Good!"