Monday, November 29, 2010

Dark. And Cold.

And I persist in living in Minnesota. It's not even 5:30 and it's totally dark. Here in St. Cloud we are on the border of the accumulating snow to the west and the wintery mix to the east. Should make for fun driving/walking/opening the door/existing over the next few days.

But I do have rather a long Netflix queue. And some popcorn kernels. It's nice to have an excuse to stay home. Not that I need an excuse, but this way no one will expect anything more.

I recently got a new winter coat. It's not wool or down, and it covers to about md-tush. But being born and bred in this area, I feel totally prepared for whatever the weather can throw at me. I saw two deer drinking from the semi-frozen "pond" in the backyard today. If they can live through this, so can I. Bring it on, winter!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Take a Walk

It's cold here. Icy. It's a good day to have worked from home, as I did.

Yet today, for the first time in awhile, I went for a walk. For no reason, to nowhere (I walked down our road and back).

And it was so good for me. It burns calories. Breathe fresh air. Get less screen time and more nature time.

And most of all clear my head. No iPod today, although sometimes I bring it along. Today, just thoughts. About nothing special. About everything. Things I want. Things I need. Things I can control. Things that will never happen. Things that will happen with or without me.

And an hour after I left, I am back. Defogging my glasses, standing in front of the fire for a minute to warm my legs (need a second pair of pants next time). And what a difference an hour makes.

I need to remember that feeling. I need to get it more often. That's something I can control. Something for me. I hear the benefits of self-care. And as a childless woman who works different hours from her husband, I have plenty of time to care for myself. Indulge my hobbies. I just need to indulge a little more in time with my tennies and myself.