A Planful Re-emergence

Part of the point of 

"take a weekend and retreat from the world"

is to immerse myself in nothing

in order to be ready for everything.

Trying to do a little bit of both just doesn't cut it.

And sure enough, after a weekend spent in utter silence,

by yesterday afternoon I was able to say:

Come on world; I'm ready.

But, the re-emergence must be carefully planned.

So, I called on my dear ones,

the ones I can just be with,

without having to work at it.

I sat in my yard,

and waited for them to join me,

and sure enough--

bit by bit, they did.

We sat together in the cool of the night

with the blink of the candles

and all of that food I'd made,

and we just had an evening.

We laughed and we talked and we shared.

We asked and we listened and we encouraged.

And then we closed it all out in prayer,

as the dark grew and the lights strung above my pond shone bravely on.

It was the loveliest thing,

and exactly what this newly emerged little soul needed.

And then today,

I woke up at 4:46,

clearly knowing with every fiber of my being 

that my summer schedule is over.

Day One of classes doesn't mean teaching for me this year,

but it does mean:

The emails and the dinner reservations get a bit more intense.

[You think I'm kidding. This is what I do.]

There was also a meeting, however,

so inspiring that I just sat and absorbed the gift it is to live and work

with brilliant people just waiting to be brilliant,

and in your presence.

A typical day like this would involve a brilliant meeting followed by a 'go here, then go here, teach the piano kids, maybe have some dinner, and then there's another meeting or someone who needs to see you'. 

But, in a move I attribute to my own rather above-average brilliance, my highly evolved emotional intelligence regarding my personal needs, and my carefully thought out re-emergence plan, 

I had already made the decision to hold off the 

piano-teaching-plus-all-else until a date still a bit far off.

And hence, today, at an appropriate hour,

I called my workday to an end,

like normal people do.

I returned to my yard, and set myself down

next to a pile of peaceful things I wanted to attend to,

next to my pond,

curled in a sweatshirt, and with a tasty drink.

I had myself a proper happy hour.

Savoring the last little bits,

arming myself for bear.