However, summertime living isn’t any easier than any other time of year, really, except for traffic. My morning and afternoon commutes are a lot easier when school is not in session. It always amazes me what a difference it makes. There is less traffic, and what traffic there is moves much more smoothly.
There are two main ways to get to and from work. One involves taking interstates almost the whole way, and the other involves some twisting, scenic backroads but takes about 15 minutes longer. I’ll take my back roads over the angst laden interstate any day. I wind my way through what is technically the center of a major metropolitan area on a two-lane road where tree limbs stretch over the road from each side to form a cathedral ceiling of dappled green or mottled reds, yellows, and oranges, depending on the time of year. Usually, there’s at most one car behind me if anyone is at all. So I arrive at work or home, depending on the direction, peaceful, with my batteries recharged and a sense of well-being I wouldn’t have any other way.
And hopefully, with my mind having that free 35 minutes to wander down whatever labyrinthine avenues it desires, ideas for my writing too.
Do you have any spots in your daily routine that give you a sense of peace and well-being? Does it help your writing, or do you recharge your batteries in some other way?
During the summer, I enjoy sleeping on our screened porch. Most days when I wake up, I remain in bed and listen to the world: birds chirping, rain or dew dripping from the roof, ducks fishing on the lake. I connect to whatever is out there and start the day with a smile.
ReplyDeleteLovely images, Nancy. My woodland hikes are my battery recharging station. Especially if the local wildlife decides to visit.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful drive to start and end your work day! We give the dogs a 2 mile walk every morning. It's my random thought time, my "what if" time, interrupted by our local red-tailed hawks and a young adult deer who escorts us to the end of the road and then on the return trip. Our dogs, fortunately, are more interested in squirrels than the deer.
ReplyDeleteFor a while, I worked in an inner-city school in Baltimore. There were lots of rewards--I loved seeing the kids succeed and move on with their lives. But there was stress, too, from students and parents and administration. The time one boy brought a loaded gun and pulled it out mid-class. The time a chubby girl who was in denial went into labor. And perhaps the last straw--the time I was blamed for not stopping a drug deal in the hallway outside my closed classroom door which did not involve any of my students.
ReplyDeleteAt the time I was living in rural Pennsylvania, near my husband's job. I could feel myself decompress as I drove along the rural roads and pulled into my driveway, where the only man-made structure visible was my own house.
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