Meander

After sleeping rather late and waking feeling luxuriously rested, I drank some coffee flavored with pumpkin and spices and watered my plants. I made some decorating decisions, wished I had a loveseat in the living room and did a bit more work.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" I asked the sleeping canine when I walked back upstairs to my bedroom. She perked up and stumbled off the mattress and to the floor while I fetched socks and put on shoes. Leashed clipped to collar, we set off into the sunny, windy morning to admire the bit of nature the surrounds my neighborhood.

I like the cold, I decided, shivering as I savored the smooth slide toward winter. I felt my muscles warm and loosen as we wandered briskly down paths and sidewalks, smiling and greeting other pedestrians as we moved. I thought of work priorities, sighed over lack of romantic prospects and spared a moment to feel grateful that I finally had a weekend with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Despite the time spent working, I felt relaxed and lovely.

I picked up some litter as we paused to stare at the geese floating in a pond. The wind tugged locks of hair from my ponytail and I tucked them behind my ears with my free hand, holding trash and leash with the other. With a toss of her ears, Chienne began to trot again and I obediently followed her.

"Relax," Adam advised when I wrote to ask him a question late last night and complained over the hours I'd spent doing training. "Everything will wait until later."

"Put the computer away," Henry scolded from the west coast when I asked for material.

"Go do something fun!" Marlie insisted after I replied to the request for help she'd sent.

I sighed a bit at each reminder to find some balance - were they not all online as well? It's not like I'm the only one working! But I felt good as I tugged Chienne out of people's flowerbeds and watched the leaves blow in the wind. A bit of a break is necessary and delightful, I reminded myself firmly. Upon returning home, I realized I wasn't dreading Monday nearly as I much as I was last week. A peek at my calendar (while doing just a bit more work!) assured me I can accomplish a few things this week rather than just putting out fires.

And pretty soon, if I'm very lucky, it might start to snow.