So, how's your week been?
Mine was all right overall. Got a bit distracted for a couple days. Maybe you did too.
Ended up with this Duran Duran song in my head, which was annoying, but it ended up being a kind of "palate cleanser" for the mind. It helped that the past couple of days were unexpectedly sunny.
I've been listening to "Election Day." It's not political, so don't sweat that.
I'm pretty sure it's about getting laid, but the lyrics don't make a whole lot of sense now that I've taken the time to look them over.
It's not actually a Duran Duran song either, but it's the same dude singing. There's horns in the background. Grace Jones snarls a few lines. A very 1980s mix of ridiculousness.
I know a lot of people are walking around with strong opinions & feelings. I'm not trying to make light of that, but I do think lightness is important to maintain. I pay attention, I've got opinions, but I keep all of that at arm's length.
It's good to remember that much of the present is going to look ridiculous, probably not too long from now. It keeps my feet on the ground and gets me out of my own head.
That attitude doesn't suit everyone, I know. That's fine...
Anyway, we've had a couple of sunny, beautiful, almost-warm-enough days. On Thursday I pulled my paddleboard out of the closet and headed to Scappoose Bay as soon as I could. Probably my last opportunity to get on the water without bundling up in neoprene this year.
Half of the surrounding trees were bare, the other half were full of glowing yellowed leaves. The water was glassy, almost no wind or current. I was careful to avoid the mud flats, the broken logs just beneath the surface, the exposed pilings that were pounded into the river bed 100 years or so ago.
Twice, there were barges loaded up and pushed past me. Eagles circling, a whole mess of long-necked birds that looked like loons (?) -- I'm not sure about that.
A few sturgeon lightly breached the surface near my board. It was enough to see their weird spiny backs and make me think it's not such a stretch to believe in something like a Loch Ness Monster.
I was almost out too long, paddling hard to get back to the marina. Huge fish were jumping everywhere as the sun sank behind the hills and the chill set in. My bare toes were numb as I carried everything to the parking lot.
My mind wanders constantly. I spend lots of time with my head stuck in "virtual spaces." My imagination's full of places I may never go, people I may never meet. Its logic twists and fluctuates and its reality is held together by probabilities and persuasion.
I balance that out by shivering and sweating and getting damp and dirty for at least a little while every day.
Gotta take time to remind yourself that life is short. Your mind can make things miserable or magical, but you DO get to choose.