Hey everyone, It's Richard again. :)
I have a little anecdote for you, so bear with me for a moment.
Over the years I've done a lot of driving. Sometimes it was for work with various jobs or commutes. Other times it was to visit a family member or friend in a place a long way away. Frequently I just hit the road to get away, to therapeutically take the corners and focus on the speed and flow of a curvy road and a brilliant view.
I've seen lots of animals on the road. Today I'm going to tell you about squirrels.
In my mind squirrels fall into three categories.
The first kind is the 'Slow-Loper'. This squirrel appears on the road a long way ahead of any car. He bounces up to the white line and pauses. Apparently satisfied that both directions are sufficiently clear, he begins a clam series of bounds. He pauses when he wants. He takes his time. He knows the other side of the road is steadily coming nearer. His calm approach brings him comfortably and safely to the far shore, time to spare, and he disappears into the trees.
That's the first kind.
The second kind is less calm or controlled. His approach is less streamlined. He is the 'Mad-Dasher'. He begins his approach to the white line when the next car is much closer. He pauses to decide if he really wants to make the dash or not. It may be just me, but it always seems to me that his eyes center on me in a different way, bigger, with more anxiety. With fear, he begins a rushed scamper across the lane in front of the car. Frequently, and I don't understand this move, he stops before he gets across. He proceeds to spin around in the other direction and dart back the way he came. Then he realizes he's definitely going to get hit and spins once more to continue on his way. His last bound into the bushes is a sweet moment of relief after all the second-guessing and near failure. That's number two.
The third is by far the most entertaining. 'Loony-Loopin', as if late for his train, comes streaking out of the foliage at the last second making you sit up high and jerk your foot to the break. What I've discovered is a comic relief that I love. Once I happened upon a squirrel of this type, and I hit the horn, just a short blast, and watched the squirrel change direction instead of speeding up as I had intended. In that split second, I made a snap decision to mess with the squirrel. I began a series of speedy tooting blasts fired in rapid succession. With each honk, the squirrel changed direction. He stayed in a 3-foot circle as I drew closer and closer. With his spinning, jerking gyration, he couldn't get anywhere. There came a clear moment when he seemed to realize that he could count the dead flies on my bumper, and he scooted for the safety of the sideline.
So... got the squirrels? Slow-Loper, Mad-Dasher, and Loony-Loopin'.
Adulthood kind of feels like being a squirrel:
-Sometimes I feel like decisions are clear. I recognize it soon, and like Slow-Loper, without a care in the world, I complete my tasks with time to spare. No rush, no fuss.
-Sometimes I feel like Mad-Dasher. Not enough time in the day. Too much to do, even for an organized person, and I end up running nonstop just to get everything done.
-Sometimes (usually) I feel like Loony-Loopin'. *Honk* Is there laundry to be done? *Honk* Who ate breakfast already? *Honk* Ellie, these aren't Evie's boots. *Honk* Johnny, your pants are on backward and your shoes are on the wrong feet, AGAIN! *Honk* Babe, did you call about that bill? *Honk* How come there's no hot water?? *Honk* WHY is the toilet paper all over the FLOOR?! *Honk* Who left the door open?! *Honk* I'm gonna be late! *Honk* Did someone move my shoes? *Honk* There was a dentist appointment today?! This deadline, lost keys, that spill, those dirty shoes, hungry stomachs, missing people....*Honk* *Honk* *Honk* *Honk* *Honk*
And just when I think there's some kind of calm ahead, I get that text about that thing that I forgot about.
Until the last week or two, life was on a long streak of Loony-Loopin'. With salt-over-shoulders, knocking-on-wood, and wishing-on-stars, I'm praying we don't go back there! Somehow Emily has pulled the rudder back and re-aligned the course, and we're back on track. We're not quite in Slow-Loper mode, but I'm happier with Mad-Dasher at the moment. Hopefully, it's been nice for you all to read a little more from us too as we have been finding more stability these last few weeks.
Here's what I want to know: What's your Emily? How do adults be adults? What are the strategies that re-align the course, pull the rudder in, anchor us to sanity? Is it your spouse? Exercise? Meditation? A specific movie or kind of entertainment? How many tools can we come up with that pull us out of the craziness and let us reach the calm safety of the woods on the other side of the road? All I want to do is munch on my food on a branch and watch the world spin beneath my tree, knowing I got enough done that I won't spin off into space.
OH, and P.S. No Squirrels were harmed in the making of this post! :-P
I have a little anecdote for you, so bear with me for a moment.
I've seen lots of animals on the road. Today I'm going to tell you about squirrels.
In my mind squirrels fall into three categories.
The first kind is the 'Slow-Loper'. This squirrel appears on the road a long way ahead of any car. He bounces up to the white line and pauses. Apparently satisfied that both directions are sufficiently clear, he begins a clam series of bounds. He pauses when he wants. He takes his time. He knows the other side of the road is steadily coming nearer. His calm approach brings him comfortably and safely to the far shore, time to spare, and he disappears into the trees.
That's the first kind.
The second kind is less calm or controlled. His approach is less streamlined. He is the 'Mad-Dasher'. He begins his approach to the white line when the next car is much closer. He pauses to decide if he really wants to make the dash or not. It may be just me, but it always seems to me that his eyes center on me in a different way, bigger, with more anxiety. With fear, he begins a rushed scamper across the lane in front of the car. Frequently, and I don't understand this move, he stops before he gets across. He proceeds to spin around in the other direction and dart back the way he came. Then he realizes he's definitely going to get hit and spins once more to continue on his way. His last bound into the bushes is a sweet moment of relief after all the second-guessing and near failure. That's number two.
The third is by far the most entertaining. 'Loony-Loopin', as if late for his train, comes streaking out of the foliage at the last second making you sit up high and jerk your foot to the break. What I've discovered is a comic relief that I love. Once I happened upon a squirrel of this type, and I hit the horn, just a short blast, and watched the squirrel change direction instead of speeding up as I had intended. In that split second, I made a snap decision to mess with the squirrel. I began a series of speedy tooting blasts fired in rapid succession. With each honk, the squirrel changed direction. He stayed in a 3-foot circle as I drew closer and closer. With his spinning, jerking gyration, he couldn't get anywhere. There came a clear moment when he seemed to realize that he could count the dead flies on my bumper, and he scooted for the safety of the sideline.
So... got the squirrels? Slow-Loper, Mad-Dasher, and Loony-Loopin'.
Adulthood kind of feels like being a squirrel:
-Sometimes I feel like decisions are clear. I recognize it soon, and like Slow-Loper, without a care in the world, I complete my tasks with time to spare. No rush, no fuss.
-Sometimes I feel like Mad-Dasher. Not enough time in the day. Too much to do, even for an organized person, and I end up running nonstop just to get everything done.
-Sometimes (usually) I feel like Loony-Loopin'. *Honk* Is there laundry to be done? *Honk* Who ate breakfast already? *Honk* Ellie, these aren't Evie's boots. *Honk* Johnny, your pants are on backward and your shoes are on the wrong feet, AGAIN! *Honk* Babe, did you call about that bill? *Honk* How come there's no hot water?? *Honk* WHY is the toilet paper all over the FLOOR?! *Honk* Who left the door open?! *Honk* I'm gonna be late! *Honk* Did someone move my shoes? *Honk* There was a dentist appointment today?! This deadline, lost keys, that spill, those dirty shoes, hungry stomachs, missing people....*Honk* *Honk* *Honk* *Honk* *Honk*
And just when I think there's some kind of calm ahead, I get that text about that thing that I forgot about.
Until the last week or two, life was on a long streak of Loony-Loopin'. With salt-over-shoulders, knocking-on-wood, and wishing-on-stars, I'm praying we don't go back there! Somehow Emily has pulled the rudder back and re-aligned the course, and we're back on track. We're not quite in Slow-Loper mode, but I'm happier with Mad-Dasher at the moment. Hopefully, it's been nice for you all to read a little more from us too as we have been finding more stability these last few weeks.
Here's what I want to know: What's your Emily? How do adults be adults? What are the strategies that re-align the course, pull the rudder in, anchor us to sanity? Is it your spouse? Exercise? Meditation? A specific movie or kind of entertainment? How many tools can we come up with that pull us out of the craziness and let us reach the calm safety of the woods on the other side of the road? All I want to do is munch on my food on a branch and watch the world spin beneath my tree, knowing I got enough done that I won't spin off into space.
OH, and P.S. No Squirrels were harmed in the making of this post! :-P
from The Freckled Fox http://ift.tt/2lNvE5P
Squirrels - Natural hairstyle for mens and womens
