I had a mellow day today. Not without its tears or sadness, but not dominated by those. I focused on eating heartily to prepare for a hike up the mountain tomorrow. The weather should be good. I’ll take wind gear along with my layers. It might be in the 60s or 70s by my house, but up the mountain will be colder. I’m looking forward to the experience.
I spent some time meditating today. I made my way into a very still place and thought about a soft, warm, golden light filling my abdomen like a syrup. Sealing that place off so that I can no longer shove painful emotions into my center. I’ve been feeling a lot less overall pain since I realized (with Josh’s help) that I was, in fact, not letting all my emotions out after all.
I’ve also been reading The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. Rereading, but it’s been a long time. There are a lot of good lessons in there for me right now. I’m reading it slowly, but steadily. And I’m almost done reading a book my brother recommended, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger. That book also has good lessons, but it also intimidates me a bit. But I think I can start small, and build.
I had good conversation with two neighbors today, along with several of the vendors at the Harvest Fest that was today just a few miles up 95. It felt good to interact with people, and I made some purchases. It was a cute little fair, with food and drink, bounce houses, cornhole, an ax throwing truck, and about a dozen vendors selling a variety of goods, from beautiful wood and glass pieces to jewelry to clothing to toys to home decorations.
I cooked dinner when I got home from the fest, and ate it while on a call with my parents. Before bed, I want to get my pack prepared for tomorrow’s hike with a full water bladder and a check on my ten essentials. I think I need to move the sunscreen into the day pack.