Simplification (an introduction)

So, just a couple of hours ago I was thinking of how nice it was to sit in silence... to really listen to to the rain and the crickets without music or t.v. tainting the night's purity. And then I began to ponder my minimalist preferences for, well, just about everything. And somewhere among these ponderings I had a semi-epiphany about who I am and what my ideal life looks like. Well, I'm not going to go into great detail b/c I would like to get back to reading a book while the world is still quiet... but the boiled-down version of my thought processes generally points to this:

I don't want to work much. I am okay with not making a lot of money. I prefer to have more 'free' time than money over more money than 'free' time. The less stuff I have, the less clutter I have to shuffle around, the more peaceful I am. Spending more time with my near and dear ones trumps monetary pursuits. And I really have a deep appreciation for people who live kind of stripped-down/bare-bones lives (like homesteaders, the Amish, the Quakers, monks.... minus the religious zealousness).

to be continued...

Here and Now: 8-8-08

Today is a beautiful day. There is a hint of autumn in the air... something about the light, low humidity, and breeziness all give way to some Fall foreshadowing. I am very ready for the change of seasons. This summer has been quite a time warp for me. Some days have been as slow as molasses while others seem to collapse on top of each other like a shuffled deck of cards. Now I finally have a day like today when I know the EXACT date and day of the week. Silly? Yes, but to me, oh so gratifying.

My daughter is just about 3 months old now and the haze of fatigue, rattled nerves, and unpredictability is beginning to lift. I am starting to feel more like a person and less like a walking teat. Now I am on the cusp of finding the balance between my autonomy and her dependency. I guess I'll be doing this juggling act for the next several years of our lives. Welcome to Motherhood- a role that I didn't exactly sign up for but, nevertheless, a state of being that I am trying my best to embrace.

'My'-Space

So, in the past I have been very reluctant to 'blog' myself and my life. I don't want to share my life with just anybody, right? But then I got over it and I realized that my need for a space to reflect and possibly connect far outweighs my inhibitions surrounding the world of online public journaling. I am hoping to carve out a forum where I can extract the marvelous from the mundane- reflecting on my past, processing the present, and dreaming of what's to come... So, here is the first step in the creation of 'My'-space.