At One With Nature

Ever have that feeling that you just need to be outside in the sun and fresh air? I got that last weekend, so Scooter and I packed up a picnic lunch and went for a drive to a place in the bay area that I haven't been to in years.

It's near the bay waters, so the park has this great marshy area. A boardwalk leads you right over the water of the main marsh through a tunnel of green reeds so tall you would be lost without the trail to follow. You can't see much around you, but you can hear everything. The birds were singing a glorious symphony of chirps and warbles, tweets and quacks. Marsh wrens were building their nests and defending their territory from other birds and the multitude of park visitors. Scooter and I heard small critters scurrying through the leaf litter at the base of the reeds. The quiet footsteps of other people thudded quietly on the wooden boards. Ducks and geese called to each other across the water. Off in the not-so-far distance, bicycles rode down the gravel trails. The reeds whispered to passersby as the wind blew gently through the green strands.

And then, suddenly you come out of the reeds and you can see. You see the open water, the swallows and gulls wheeling overhead, the geese as they land in the water with a splash, the bright shirts of people, and the sun bouncing off the surface of the marsh. The wind created ripples in the water, breaking up the reflection of the hills until it was a vague blur. The hills were green but just starting to turn to brown, much too early for the season and a reminder of the drought felt all across the state. Under a clear blue sky in the warm sun and gentle breeze, there is nothing more calming, more relaxing, and more invigorating.

With summer quickly approaching, I hope that this is only the first of many day trips and camping trips this year. The two hours we spend walking and picnicking showed me that I absolutely need more time outside. We've already started planning our next day out.

Hi there, remember me?

The last seven months have marked a personal journey, one that has touched work, family life, and health. Throughout this time, I have been reflecting on whether or not I would continue this blog. It was originally meant to record my progress through my MLIS program, then morphed into something that still encompassed that but also included some of my other interests. But after my last post and during the time since then, I wasn't sure if my blog really had a place anymore, like a favorite shirt you outgrow. I liked it, but was it really still for me ?

Other things in life took center stage and this was pushed back to the shadows. But now I feel ready to take it out again, dust it off, and try it back on in the hope that it will fit.

What has changed? My job, my marital status--sorry guys and gals, I'm officially taken--and my husband's health. In two hundred characters or less, I'm now working in two elementary school libraries (a job I love), Scooter and I got married last December, and Scooter has been diagnosed as diabetic. It's a lot of life-changing events, and I'm sure you can see why I both neglected my blog and began to question its relevance to me. Now, I see a bit clearer that it can be a forum for me to discuss my successes and failures in my new job, especially since I've been able to develop new skills and have new experiences; it's been very liberating to be "just" a librarian for my two schools, rather than the librarian/test adminstrator/student success coordinator/event planner/anything-else-they-could-make-me that I was at my last job. I don't feel spread too thin and can concentrate on what I love to do. My blog can also continue as a recipe book, with the new addition of diabetic-friendly recipes. It's not easy to find stuff that Scooter will like that won't spike his blood sugar, so it seems only right to share our culinary successes here for others to use. And lastly, my blog can continue to be a space for my creativity and my other thoughts, as it was before.

So, my new journey begins. I can't begin to guess where it will take me this time, but I can almost promise some fun along the way.