Do you ever feel like there just isn't enough time in the day, the week, the month? I know, I know, stupid question. We all feel like that, some of us most of the time.
It was a beautiful day in Valdez today. Sunny and warm, a perfect day for drying out after all the rain we'd had recently. I was stuck inside all day attending a meeting. When my work day was finally done, all I wanted to do was go for a hike.
I planned to go home, change clothes, make a PB&J for a picnic dinner, and head up the hill to Solomon Lake. Heaven. Since I'm supposed to be trekking in the Andes in just 10 weeks, I really need to get in some hiking, especially uphill.
As I drove home, reality set in. I had half a box of peaches that needed to be prepared for freezing before they rotted, not to mention a whole box of apricots. I needed to put the final touches on the last curly tree (spring) so I could get it into the kiln. I'd washed sheets this morning, so my bed needed to be made. I needed to precook food for the dinner I'm responsible for when Wendy and I go to Kenny Lake this weekend for a wild plants workshop. I haven't written a blog post in the last few days, and I felt guilty about that. And, and, and....
What do you do in this situation? Do you give into the demands of your body and soul, and play outside in the sunshine? Or do you give into the demands of responsibility and do your chores? How do you prioritize your life, and what compromises are you willing to make?
I compromised. I really couldn't go on a multi-hour hike when I had expensive fruit about to start rotting - a definite priority. Instead, I gave myself an hour when I got home to go on a four-mile flat-land walk. Not the hills I needed, but at least enough exercise to give me energy for the rest of the evening.
As soon as I got home, I headed into the studio to put the final touches on the spring curly tree and got it in the kiln. It could be firing while I went on to other tasks.
I put water onto heat for the peaches (a boiling water dip makes it easier to slip the skins off), and reheated some leftover Chinese for dinner. By the time I was done eating, the water was boiling. I put on an episode of Dr. Who (love Netflix), and reveled in the slimy mess of peeling and slicing peaches. It's a lot of work, but worth the effort. Look at these beautiful frozen peach slices from my efforts last night. I should have another two gallons from what I did tonight, too.
(Sorry about disappearing. My timer went off. I had to run downstairs to help the kiln quick-cool. I'll tell you why sometime.)
As I'm typing this, potatoes and eggs are cooking so I can make potato salad tomorrow. Oops, I think I may have overcooked the potatoes. Oh, well.
Okay, I'm running through my mental to-do list. I think I've gotten everything done that needs to be done tonight. Well, except making my bed, but that can wait a bit. What have I learned from all of this? I am the Queen of Multitasking. I can be very efficient and get a lot done when I need to. I can prioritize my chores and make compromises when necessary.
And yet. And yet my soul still yearns to be outside. My legs want to be climbing the hill to the lake. I want to be not in my kitchen, but instead on the mountain you can see in the photo at the top of the post, the one just across the bay. I wouldn't be very high on it, but high enough. High enough to make my soul expand and make me smile uncontrollably.
Maybe tomorrow.
