Of Rocks and Sporadic Posts

Living gratefully today, I appreciate Zoom calls with my sisters, my Insight Timer meditation app, and the meals my husband Darcy and I have shared with our son Sam in the last months. 

A quick note before I dive into this post. In the next several weeks, my blog posts will be more sporadic. I'll be here and I'll be posting, but not as regularly as usual. I am freeing up time for other endeavors. 

Sam heads to his sophomore year of college and on-campus living today, after COVID significantly impacted his freshman year. He has been home since late last November; transferred schools, took online classes, worked a job the last few months. 

He is ready and so are we. We want him to experience a more normal college year. We will miss him, and so will our dog Oliver. But he will be 20 miles away instead of 200. That feels so different, and tempers my motherly emotions this morning. 

My family is one of my rocks. They are here for me. I am here for them. It's not all sunshine and roses day-in and day-out, but we have love, trust, and laughter.

I was thinking about other rocks in my life as Darcy and I took a long bike ride yesterday morning. The layers of these formations on a stretch of trail got me thinking, in a good way:

Geologically speaking, these rocks have been here way longer than all of us. There is something to be said for longevity. Running (and other exercise) and writing have been my steady rocks since childhood. They are my foundational layers and quite strong. Over the years I have added recovery tools, grateful living practices, and mindful meditation routines. These added layers bring me to new heights and fresh perspectives. 

There is no one road to health and contentment. Wellness is a multi-layered approach. I have physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual work to do and tools to help me in each. Some days I use them. Some days I am a precarious rock slide waiting to happen. 

Like these pictures remind me, there will be uphill climbs and downhill coasts. There will be nothing to grab onto some days, and easy footholds on others. There is always a bridge to faith, of faith. Sometimes it recedes into the background and I have to shake the rocks in my head loose again to bring that faith back front and center.

Enough of the rock analogies for now. In all seriousness though, consider the solid rocks in your life and give thanks for them and to them today.