Falling Behind

Do you remember the feeling of being in a group of walkers or runners, and everyone rushed ahead? And you were left in the dust? I became a lagger and stroller with a couple of friends, and in the end we resolved ourselves to falling behind.

Sometimes life feels that way, yes?

PomPom left a comment yesterday reminding me to visit her blog again to see her new kitten. Which I did! Except ... in my irritating way I couldn't just read the kitten post; I had to read ALL her posts :) I just had to. I couldn't bear to miss out on anything! PomPom had about 8 posts, I think, since I'd last caught up.

And it was so fun to read about her happy life in Colorado! Whyohwhy do I lag behind and forget to read about my friends' happy (or not) lives elsewhere? It's so restorative to me; it pulls me out of my own little miseries and frustrations. It's a good thing to touch the lives of others, and blogging is wonderful that way.

So this morning I looked at other friends' backlog of posts. Karen has 30! How will I read them all? I felt safe clicking over to Mags; she doesn't post very often ... but even Mags had 6 unread posts! Argh. Rainey has 10, Gretchen has 16, Prolific Kezzie ... 19! Alright, gals, it may be a while before I get around to all of it. And sometimes ... I do confess ... I skip around to a few here and there that seem interesting to me. I know we all do that.
My loom has remained untouched for about a month. I call this my Yearly Break from Yarn, but in fact it's gone on longer than usual, and I need to get back to it.

 I made a batch of soap because I was running so low.

Doggies are snoozy. Sometimes I envy them their lethargy.

 I am thoroughly enjoying my chickens. They are hysterical to watch! Hens erupt from the coop in the morning. Bernie does his crazy side-ways chicken hop at them. Lucy squawks at Punkin and runs her away from the nesting box. Ethel hogs the food. Ruby lets me feed her and pet her now.

 I've playing the piano a little more lately ... not just hurriedly preparing for Sunday morning, but playing through old pieces, learning a few better. It's quite soothing.

Bottom line: my big issue is contentment. I always, always feel that life is supposed to be a little better, a little calmer, a little happier. It's never quite good enough for me. That's a sin (oh yes it is) that I need to wrangle with a bit. Incorporated into discontent is a spirit of ungratefulness, the closer-to-the-heart matter.

Update from last post about "longing for community" -- I do think our American coffee shops often serve this purpose in some communities. I think we need more of them. I think Americans need to feel free to sit in the coffee shop and nurse a cup for a couple of hours and RELAX instead of dashing around. Oriental has a good coffee shop for this purpose. The farmers' market there, although having a lovely friendly feel, is small, attracts a small segment of the populace, and only lasts for 3 hours each Saturday. A REAL community hub should be accessible much more often (IMO). 

Maybe I should open a coffee shop in Bayboro where I live now? Haha!!! That will never happen! I'd love to have a combo Tea Room/Yarn/Fabric Shop. How 'bout that?