Summer Camp

I don't know what I was thinking, but when the invitation came for the third time I said yes. Signed up without thinking too much, actually.

Some of it is an attempt to create something new to fill the holes left by the things that disappeared or changed as a result COVID-19. Some of it is the sense of whimsy that comes up when I think about childhood adventures at camp. Some of it is simply wanting to spend Sunday afternoons doing something other than feeling exhausted after work.

The first of four, two-hour sessions on consecutive Sunday afternoons began with women gathering under the trees at a local farm. We sat in a circle and introduced ourselves, did yoga and meditation, a walking meditation through the farm, came back and were offered a snack of fresh, local produce and had conversation before it was time to go. It was lovely.

I've noticed since COVID-19 began, that I am often in a high state of alert. That eased this afternoon and I noticed things like feel-good hormones and endorphins flooding my system. It reminded me of the years I spent enjoying a studio practice in yoga. What I name bliss. 

Nevermind that it was 90 degrees and the air hung heavy with humidity. That I was sweaty and needed a shower when I got home. That I was itchy from bugs. That the seating choices were the ground or the edge of a picnic bench. That I felt wobbly and unbalanced practicing on uneven ground outdoors. That I felt wobbly and unbalanced practicing yoga at all in a group after two years.

Nevermind all that. 

Nevermind.

It's nine o'clock and I feel like a kid after a good day of outdoor play, ready for bed and a good night's sleep.

Creating Space: Three Months of Showing Up for What's Showing Up is a daily writing practice. Turns out that a lot of this writing explores the landscape of grief. My mother died shortly before I began this writing, and this is what I'm thinking about most of the time these days.

Katherine Cartwright has been blogging since 2012, and each year brings new wonders. She asks big questions of the small things in life.