Another Friday post. This one is even more celebratory than most because I am taking a vacation day to bike around town, read in the sun, and eat seafood with SB. Hurray!
It is a particularly nice time for a break because the last week has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. This is due to the fact that last weekend I decided to change jobs. My organization is undergoing a rapid expansion, and I was informed that my job was being split into two jobs. I was asked to choose between the two halves of my job, both of which I love.
It was tough because I have spent the vast majority of the past two+ years on one program that is near and dear to my heart; I coordinated a network of 150 people statewide and have developed strong relationships with most of the individuals in that network. The other half of my job was leading program evaluation and grant writing efforts for all of our programs -- resume-building skills that I have historically had a lot less time for day-to-day but always wanted to grown and nurture. Between these two halves, after much deliberation, I chose the latter.
It was an emotional choice and painful to tell my supervisor and program partners, all of whom have helped me grow tremendously on personal and professional levels. I have really loved the work, but when faced with an opportunity to learn new skills vs. keep doing more of the same, I will hopefully never choose the "comfortable" or "easy" option. Even if I don't end up liking the new job, it will still be a worthwhile learning experience. Fingers crossed that it ends up being rewarding.
But today I am away from all of that and will be hitting the town, taking in the glory of a hot summer day! The music video that I'm in the mood to share today features our friends, actually. When SB and I met, friends-of-his-friend were in a band called The Chord and the Fawn. We saw them play a number of shows, and I really love them as people and their music. They have since disbanded, but I have been listening to them a lot lately. The video linked below is for one of my favorites. They have a few other videos on Vimeo, too.
THE CHORD AND THE FAWN - OUR LEADER
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Friday, June 17, 2016
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
A Little Outdoor Inspiration
Most people I know grew up going camping with their families. Some camped in tents among the trees and alongside lakes while others had more of a KOA tent-trailer and swimming pool experience. In this land of 10,000 lakes many people also have family cabins for savoring a few lush and sunny months before the cold returns.
When I was a kid our family trips generally entailed traveling by air to visit relatives in other medium-sized cities. I enjoyed seeing other cities -- San Francisco, in particular, made a mark on my middle school self -- and now that I think about it, as an adult the vast majority of the trips I've taken have been to major cities. I can probably count the number of times I've slept in a tent in my entire life on my own two hands.
Despite the fact that I actually choose to spend very little time out in natural landscapes, I have such a romantic view of being out in, and part of, an environment untouched (well, less touched) by human beings. I think that most people must feel this way; are there people who don't long to be surrounded on all sides by prairies, forests, oceans, and/or deserts? Hands down one of the best days of my life was spent on a gorgeous isolated hike through the Cascade mountains with two of my favorite people (and one of my favorite dogs).
The exciting news is that SB and I will actually be breaking our big-city travel habit and taking a road trip this summer to spend time with close friends (and their adorable baby) in beautiful Vermont. We will even be spending two nights camping in the Adirondacks as part of the trip. I am pumped.
Anyway, all of these thoughts were inspired by a poem that came to mind, of the blue, while I was sitting at home this evening. I originally came across the poem via Greg Brown, who recites it on a live album. I absolutely love the second stanza; the phrase "creek music, heart music" is so beautiful.
For All
By Gary Snyder
Ah to be alive
on a mid-September morn
fording a stream
barefoot, pants rolled up,
holding boots, pack on,
sunshine, ice in the shallows,
northern rockies.
Rustle and shimmer of icy creek waters
stones turn underfoot, small and hard as toes
cold nose dripping
singing inside
creek music, heart music,
smell of sun on gravel.
I pledge allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the soil
of Turtle Island,
and to the beings who thereon dwell
one ecosystem
in diversity
under the sun
With joyful interpenetration for all.
When I was a kid our family trips generally entailed traveling by air to visit relatives in other medium-sized cities. I enjoyed seeing other cities -- San Francisco, in particular, made a mark on my middle school self -- and now that I think about it, as an adult the vast majority of the trips I've taken have been to major cities. I can probably count the number of times I've slept in a tent in my entire life on my own two hands.
Despite the fact that I actually choose to spend very little time out in natural landscapes, I have such a romantic view of being out in, and part of, an environment untouched (well, less touched) by human beings. I think that most people must feel this way; are there people who don't long to be surrounded on all sides by prairies, forests, oceans, and/or deserts? Hands down one of the best days of my life was spent on a gorgeous isolated hike through the Cascade mountains with two of my favorite people (and one of my favorite dogs).
The exciting news is that SB and I will actually be breaking our big-city travel habit and taking a road trip this summer to spend time with close friends (and their adorable baby) in beautiful Vermont. We will even be spending two nights camping in the Adirondacks as part of the trip. I am pumped.
Anyway, all of these thoughts were inspired by a poem that came to mind, of the blue, while I was sitting at home this evening. I originally came across the poem via Greg Brown, who recites it on a live album. I absolutely love the second stanza; the phrase "creek music, heart music" is so beautiful.
For All
By Gary Snyder
Ah to be alive
on a mid-September morn
fording a stream
barefoot, pants rolled up,
holding boots, pack on,
sunshine, ice in the shallows,
northern rockies.
Rustle and shimmer of icy creek waters
stones turn underfoot, small and hard as toes
cold nose dripping
singing inside
creek music, heart music,
smell of sun on gravel.
I pledge allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the soil
of Turtle Island,
and to the beings who thereon dwell
one ecosystem
in diversity
under the sun
With joyful interpenetration for all.
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