As I sit in my office this morning, I’m looking out at the lovely pond outside my window, enjoying the small Soul Shifts I’m feeling in my heart. I’m recalling the pair of falcons perched on my wall yesterday, one feeding the other keeping watch. They were such a handsome, proud pair, clearly having mated and maybe getting ready to nest. The pond is a striking respite from the world above where jets fly in and out of Tampa airport at regular intervals during the day. Herons, storks, cardinals, jays, and woodpeckers all take turns around and in the pond which is teeming with fish. In the distance I sometimes hear horses whinnying from the rescue farm over my back wall. It’s all a bit of heaven.
It’s been a while since I posted a blog. I have not forgotten you, my loyal readers, though I feel I owe you an explanation. We’ve been engulfed in home redecorating that has veered into renovation territory. It’s a great house, built in the 1980’s but hardly touched since. We were first introduced to the scale of work needed when we discovered a veritable science experiment taking place in our HVAC system and ductwork! That all had to be ripped out and replaced with a more efficient unit that would deal more effectively with the Florida heat and humidity eight months out of the year.
The condition of the house has also meant we’ve had to patch multiple holes in the drywall where an obsolete intercom/radio system had been installed. I wonder whose voices and what messages the walls still hold? The two bathrooms needed fixing; kitchen cabinets required total updating; lighting and electrical outlets had to be improved and upgraded to LED’s.
And the paint…lots of paint. The rooms had been painted very “sad” colors. They seemed to reflect someone’s troubled life. Just an instinct of mine, nothing scientific. But now the hues of muted green and yellow speak of Jay’s and my delight in living in this easier climate, where we’ve finally escaped the trials of New England winters. Of course, as I’m sometimes reminded by well-meaning friends, Florida is also the sinkhole capital of the United States! Yet it still beats shoveling snow and sliding on ice.
And there are more major Soul Shifts that I’ve experienced. One is that, as efficient as I may be and as capable of moving projects along at a steady pace, I get physically and mentally overwhelmed a lot more easily than in the past. The changes in my life in the past six months alone have stretched me to the limit. I need to listen to that challenge and find ways to slow down my overactive mind.
A second lesson is that there are still many adventures to be had. The people I’ve met everywhere have been uniformly kind, polite, friendly, and gracious. I’m taking an improvisation class at our local cultural center where I can get out of my head and into my body in new ways that exercise different parts of my brain than I’m used to. I’m hoping to make connections that will lead me to the next right thing for my life.
A third lesson is that marriage is much more work than I would have imagined. I am fortunate to have a partner whose patience, generosity of spirit, and loving presence enable us to till a new garden of life where we both plant the seeds of love, mutual concern, and care.
I’m hoping to add to my blogging with podcasts. I’m attending a Meetup group of highly technical podcasters who are teaching me a new language and showing me the ropes toward an exciting possibility. Maybe some of you have some ideas for my podcasts?? I’m listening!
All artwork is copyrighted by the artist, Michael Parise