Train ride

We are taking a train from Olympia back to Seattle. I haven't traveled much by train. I think the only other time I have was a few years ago in Norway.

It's such a relaxing, pleasant experience. Watching the beautiful Washington landscape as you gently roll along to the clicking of the train.

Good times.

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Seattle

We are in the state of Washington this weekend for a wedding.  I haven't spent much time out here other than the stop in Seattle on choir tour in college.  I remember liking it at the time, but I must say that after spending a bit more time exploring - I love it.  I love the water, as most of you know, and being in cities that are on the water gives me such joy.  Perhaps it's because I grew up on the water, but for some reason it just energizes me and provides me with a sense of contentment that it often hard to find.

In addition to my love of water, the vibe out here is incredibly comfortable.  I find the people and the overall feeling to be fairly laid back and chill.  It's sort of difficult to describe, but I get a sense of calm and ease from the people and the environment.  Seattle is certainly a big city and fairly busy, but it really has a welcoming presence that I would think would make most people feel at home rather quickly.

I've had a wonderful (much needed) weekend so far, and I certainly hope to spend a little more time out here in the future.

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Too busy?

Time flies when you live like an American.  A friend of mine (Dayna) pointed out to me this past weekend that I hadn't blogged since March 14.  I actually didn't realize it had been that long.  The past few months have been extremely busy.  I'm not complaining or anything, but life has been pretty busy this summer for some reason.  Wait, now that I think about it, it seems that life is always busy.  Is that really the case though?  

When you run into to someone you haven't seen for awhile a

nd you ask that person how things are, the response usually includes something about how busy he or she is.  When you or others feel bad about not being in better contact with friends or family, what is the usual excuse?  Too busy.  When we say that we really need to take better care ourselves and work out more, what's the excuse for not doing so?  Too busy.  

Is 'too busy' the default American excuse?  Do we schedule ourselves until we have no time to do things that are truly important and perhaps even necessary?  Are our priorities out of sync?  

Perhaps some of those things are occurring, but I have to wonder if we even really are as busy as we think we are.  Don't get me wrong - I know a lot of us have demanding careers, classes, and families.  But I have to wonder, if I added up all the minutes in a day that I spend doing nothing, how much time would that be?

I might suggest that many people, including myself, waste more time throughout the course of a day than they realize.  I am most likely worse than others; for example: rather than staring at the floor in the morning waiting for the coffee to get done, I could email a friend.  Or rather than sitting on the couch for ten minutes when I get home 'decompressing,' I could use that time to blog!

Well, perhaps people are extremely busy.  There is certainly something to be said for that argument.  But in addition to my being fairly busy, I know that I waste a substantial amount of time that could be used for more productive tasks.

Maybe this will be a New Year's resolution;  we know how well those usually work out.

Not much longer!

This week we got a taste of that sweet spring/summer weather.  The sun was shining and you could actually feel the heat it gives off on your body as you walked to or from your car.  The snow melted enough to see grass - although not green, it still gives hope of better days to come.  There was a constant drip coming from the roofs of houses and buildings from the melting snow that would fall to the ground and add to the already standing puddles on the sidewalks.  The puddles weren't annoying though - they weren't patches of ice - one didn't even mind jumping over or even walking through this water that reeked of energy.  The puddles weren't seen as an obstacle, they were seen as a sign of hope.  

There are those of us that really savor every second of spring and summer.  I am one of these people.  Energy abounds when the sun shines and a good thunderstorm can even resurrect the hope within a person that was squashed by the long, dark winter.  

For those of you who share this fondness of the warmer, brighter months - fret not - for soon it will be time to replace the scarf with a beach towel.  Until those temperatures arrive, let us glean refuge from the harsh winter in these glimpses of warmth we got this past week.  We have much to look forward to. 

Balance

I seem to have a problem (get in line, right?).  I have a difficult time finding balance in life.  It seems for as long as I can remember I tend to throw everything I have at something, while neglecting other aspects of my life.  I don't stop until I'm so busy that I have to schedule time to eat.  

My current major endeavor is graduate school.  I am thoroughly enjoying my studies and am taking an enormous amount of knowledge and personal growth from the experience, but at what cost?  Whenever I try to read a book for pure enjoyment or watch a movie, something inside of me sends a rush of guilt through my body.  I experience an this overwhelming feeling and beat myself up because I'm not studying.  I view school as my main "job" at the moment and so I think that if I'm not investing the majority of my time and my self toward it, I'm somehow failing. 

This is flawed thinking, I know.  I have to allow myself time to relax and recharge my batteries.  I can't possibly spend every waking minute studying and thinking about human behavior (psychology is my field of study).  I'll get burnt out before I even start practicing.  I have a tendency to pour my heart and soul into things and before I know it, I'm burnt out and need a break (as evidenced partly in my previous career as a teacher).  

Now, I don't think these guilty feelings are all that bad.  They certainly help me to stay on task and get things accomplished.  However, I do need to keep things in check and allow my self some fun every now and then.

Well, not the most exciting post - but just some thoughts.