Day 3,563

Growth:

It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves. I had not lived there a week before my feet wore a path from my door to the pond-side; and though it is five or six years since I trod it, it is still quite distinct. It is true, I fear, that others may have fallen into it, and so helped to keep it open. The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men; and so with the paths which the mind travels. How worn and dusty, then, must be the highways of the world, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity! I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. I do not wish to go below now.

Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Appreciation:

While the day has been busy it’s also been deeply gratifying on a few levels. Time with family in conversation. Time spent reading a deeply thought provoking book. Time listening to a podcast with Becky and Gavin about a wilderness survival story. Time with Becky making small talk while at the grocery store. Time with Gavin running errands and prepping for our trip. Time of calm with my AirPods in while making my lunches for the week. Time chilling while I blog. Soon to be time reading in bed before drifting off to sleep. A day full of nothing out of the ordinary, but a perfectly normal and productive day to be thankful for.

Presence:

Spending time with Gavin getting our backpacking meals prepped was a blast! We had a great time picking up some of the supplies we needed and then assembling our backpacking suppers for our upcoming trip. Many laughs!

Thanks!!!