A Daily Opportunity

Nothing is so often irretrievably missed as a daily opportunity.
~ Marie von Ebner-Eschenback

Some experiences are rare, perhaps even once in a lifetime—the chance to compete in the Olympics, or to see the competition in person. When those opportunities arise, we surprise ourselves with our ability to gather resources and devise plans to make the possibility into an actuality. We may not make all of them happen, but we give our all in the attempt.

At the same time, we have countless and more frequent (even daily!) opportunities to engage in smaller activities which are just as important, if not as grand.

We can choose to get up early enough to make a proper breakfast to nourish our bodies, instead of inhaling a bowl of cereal over the sink before racing out the door. Our bodies are healthier, our minds calmer, and our sense of self-care reinforced.

We can choose to detach from whatever screen we are glued to (sometimes multiple screens—I know people who check social media on their phone while watching television) and spend time with someone else in the house, creating moments of togetherness, and perhaps fond memories of shared joys and honest connection. Or we could go for a walk and reconnect with our own self.

We can choose to play endless rounds of a video game, or we can choose to spend an hour on the game, and an hour reading a book, learning a new language, making art, or making cookies.

For me, many of my choices are shaped by the demands of the travel schedule for my day job. Not a brag, not a complaint, simply a fact. There are times I travel when I’m able to maintain some semblance of my self-care routine and devotional practice, and there are trips when I’m fortunate to keep to the 7/2/1 rule (7 hours of sleep, 2 meals, 1 shower every 24 hours) amidst the flights, conference sessions, and keeping up on client work.

I am astonished to find that, for the first time this calendar year, I will be home for six consecutive weeks. This is an incredible opportunity for me to pull back and consider how I spend my days, and how I might want to change some things.

One of the things that has suffered the most neglect due to my travels (other than my back yard—seriously, feral is as feral does) has been my writing, and in particular, this blog. So, one of the first things I am changing about my day is building back in time to post here. The Daily Draw will likely not be returning any time soon (you probably wouldn’t believe how much time it actually requires, and I’d rather put the time to other topics). The Daily Poem will continue, and will become more-or-less daily again (except weekends, because I am rediscovering how delightful it is to go 24 hours without spending any time on the computer!). The Weekly Bindrune will become weekly, once again.

I’m considering different ideas for posts, and other (related) topics. I’m not entirely certain how this will look in six weeks—we’ll find out together!