Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Or stop. Or how or what. The last few months have had a lot of moving parts and far too many decisions. If you know me, sometimes it is the simple decisions that stump me. (But…let’s not go there!) My beloved (Dog Dad) and I moved, again. This time coordinating between two states and three cities. For the first time in what feels like eons, all of our stuff (yet another topic for another day) is in one city. I also left a job, launched a book, and started a new job while waiting for our new condo to close escrow. Since then, we are nesting, acclimating, and trying to find things like the spoons (and figure out why they weren’t with the rest of the flatware).

Of course, writing is on my to do list. It is always on the list…but it doesn’t always get done. What is currently Chapter 9 has been in progress for quite some time without a change in word count. It sits, waiting. I make decisions about which cupboard is best for the bowls, spices, and flour while muttering about the dishwasher being in an odd spot and not being able to reach the cupboard that otherwise would have been the most logical for the dishes. Oh, did I mention that Dog Dad has also changed jobs and schedules?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s all coming along and is amazing. We love our highly walkable neighborhood, watching the wildlife outside off the back deck, and the space. SPACE is a beautiful, wondrous thing. The dogs even have room to play inside, at least until the sofa arrives. (They’ll enjoy that, too.) But a little over a week ago Dog Dad suggested it was time for a hike. Truly, it was overdue. We hopped in the car to drive to the trailhead for a trail he had found online. What the directions didn’t tell him was that we would have needed a jeep/truck to get to it. No problem. We drove as far was we could and then hiked to the trailhead. Of course, that turned out to be just under 4 miles and more than a 2,000 ft climb in elevation. We explored the trailhead area, took the requisite pictures, and took some time to take it all in. This is what we needed. This moment. This view. And, it was here that Fizzy (see cute dog in pic) was the “messenger”. We reached to top and she sniffed around a bit and then sat to take in the view. Okay, sure… she was looking for signs of critters in the tall grasses, but to me, she was contemplating the vastness. So I did as well.

It is far too easy to forget that we are not one of the moving parts, that we can stay centered and grounded and allow the rest to be. So, while Chapter 9 is just about to be sent off to my dev editor, I am writing this post before I start our weekly Friday zoom and reminding myself to look up from the computer, out to the trees and sky, and breathe in how wondrous it truly is.

Oh, did I mention that we are also planning our wedding… in August?

Enjoy the wonder,

Serra