In honor of better weather coming our way later this week, I want to highlight some of the little things that have made my days brighter.
I’ve been trying, for the better part of this year, to be more present. I found that I had been spending an unfortunate chunk of my free time doomscrolling through social media. It’s an easy suckhole to put yourself into when it’s cold and gross outside. Which… well, I shouldn’t have to tell you. It’s been our reality for a hot moment here in the PNW (pun intended).
But the underlying theme is a bit more complex. Earlier this month, I had family visiting from out of town. I knew I wanted to talk about the experiences we shared (and I will), and then when time came to put pen to paper- I was completely worn out. I needed time to process and enjoy the silence, if you will. I didn’t want to use my spare time as a means to generate content. That doesn’t sit well with me. It got to the point where I was wondering, almost constantly: “am I really doing this for myself, or am I doing this so that I can post about it later?” I’d then decide I would, in fact, be doing things for the content. So I’d lay off the blog to think things over. Rinse and repeat.
It eventually dawned on me that this strategy wasn’t going to work out long-term. I had to get back into the blog. But how? The mere thought of stringing together words in any sort of intelligent semblance felt daunting.
Here’s how: an old piece of advice from a high school teacher recently bubbled up in conversation. Whenever we were about to embark on a particularly tedious and fact-jammed section of world history, he’d tell us this: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
We’re getting back into this, folks. One bite at a time.
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Avalon (aka Stuffed Crust) is doing quite well these days. She’s a big fan of running through this crinkly tube at all hours. It’s been 7 months since her adoption, but I genuinely can’t imagine life without her. Yes, she might leave an occasional biohazard on the floor or attempt to munch on my lunch. I can put up with all that. She’s given me a purpose in life. I take care of her, and she takes care of me. We’re a great team.
Oops. The button on the radio board didn’t want to be a button anymore. Don’t worry, this happened after the Morning News already wrapped up. I don’t take too many pictures while I’m on the air (for obvious reasons), but especially in this position, I like a little reminder of my time behind the board. It’s a privilege that I absolutely do not take for granted. To be able to work alongside Adam, Joe, Jason, and the rest of the KGMI crew is the icing on the cake. I don’t dread coming into the station every day because I know I’ll be in good company.
Here’s a fun one from an adventure a few weeks ago. If you can tell me where this was taken, I will Venmo you $1. There were a lot of very cool treasures that were discovered throughout this particular trip. I still have little smelly containers of cool rocks and shells in my car, waiting to be cleaned. I’m a sucker for cool rocks and shells. If we’re going on an excursion, I can entertain myself for hours hunting for the most unique rocks and most intact shells. On a related note, my car also happens to be the world’s smallest sand dollar museum. If it’s intact, it’s going on the dashboard to dry out. They just… happen to like it on the dashboard. It gives my otherwise nondescript car character.
Not a little thing, but a very cool moment on SR 20. I’ve never seen so many cars pull over en masse. The traffic that it caused was worth it, I’d say. When I tell you this rainbow was MASSIVE… it could’ve swallowed up that entire farm for breakfast. I wonder what it looked like from the farmer’s point of view. Hope the pot of gold didn’t derail their spring planting plans.
I finally got a chance to explore Point Roberts. We took a hike in Lily Point Park on a quiet mid-morning, and the sun was peeking through the clouds in waves. If you’ve never been, the road down to the beach is a pretty tough path. We stopped at every curve to compose ourselves, and to take pictures when the sun allowed. I had been struggling to capture these tiny oemleria cerasiformis – they seemed to rain over us on the lower portion of the trail. I finally grabbed this shot, and got a nice rush of adrenaline to help me reach the top of the trail. Is this a sign you should probably hop across the border to visit Whatcom County’s best – and only – exclave? It should be. I’d certainly visit again.
Tulip Town looks a bit more abundant these days, but we happened to take a stroll through the fields on one of the first days of the season. The sign read “fields are 10% in bloom” when we walked in, but we realized that what was ready now wouldn’t look as great later on. When you’re ready, you’re ready. I think there’s a metaphor in here, somewhere.
The post Beyond The Morning News – The Little Things first appeared on My Bellingham Now.