vice/virtue

Bless the season, it’s been busy.

Between working full time and freelance, rock climbing part time, prepping for Mt. Rainier, volunteering at the Mountaineer’s Library and now Stone Gardens and soon Passages Northwest, tutoring at the Literacy Source, moving and nesting in my new apartment, trying to keep as much skin as possible on my hands and feet, occasionally shutting down for 12 hours at a time, not falling off the planet where my friends are concerned, blogging, and bicycling between all these points so I arrive breathless and sweaty wherever I go, there’s precious little time for the other things I enjoy. Like writing fiction and reading poetry. Two things I used to think of as my sole hobbies. But then I grew up, got comfortable as a writer, and was finally able to “do more.”

Things take a lot of time.

Today, when my literacy/citizenship student rescheduled our session, I didn’t try to whip out a few lines for a story I’ve taken far too long to write. I didn’t crash and crawl into bed by 7. I didn’t go climbing because my toes are blistered (hiking) and cut (stupidity) and strained (bicycle accident).

I went to my kitchen, picked up a cook book, and decided on vegan lasagna. Then I went to Albertsons. I actually went to a grocery store. For ingredients. For dinner. Tonight. It felt so…normal.

Apparently, I eat out too much.

Now the lasagna is baking, my flowers are watered, and I’m going to read some Thom Gunn. After I sneak in this blog post. Because truth be told, some people couldn’t relax if they had a lifetime to learn how.