Twenty ONE minutes: Day 2--I am retired. I can get up when I want.

or Time is a Construct

There is a podcast (ALT universe?) I enjoy. This morning as I listened to the MBMBAM boys try and settle on a catch phrase for 2021 --I decided to up my promised writing time to 21 minutes per day. So, I will now begin to free write until 7:47am.  

This morning, I was rudely awakened an hour earlier than necessary because (buckle your seatbelt... this is a long ride) the dishwasher is broken. 

In an effort to reboot the control panel on the dishwasher, my very helpy husband flipped ALL the fuses in box. Whilst the power was cut; my Ipod (!) friendly radio/CD player alarm clock lost it's effing mind. DH then "reset" it. NOTE: He did not inform me of these actions. HE JUST TURNED ON THE ALARM FOR fucking 5:56am!! 

So there I am, cozy in my warm bed, half asleep--listening via my earbuds, to smart boys being funny. I was reveling in their joyous laughter...when I hear an odd BEEP BEEP BEEP.  It rapidly ascended to a panic mode alarm that in my sleepy haze, I assumed was Pete's alarm. He often forgets to turn it off. I remove one earbud to ID mystery noise. It was not his alarm. IT WAS MY ALARM! I haven't used that alarm in over 8 years! I stumble towards the bloody thing and struggle to remember which button needs to be pushed. The power outlet is behind my huge dresser and I am not about to move it. The battery light is also flashing so I pop the battery cover to discover white crusty danger residue has built up  

I struggle to remove acid-y AA batteries. Decide I hate the blue glow of this outdated device. Fail to find the STOP button, or the power button. Wonder why there are two different remotes. Wash my hands. Worry about how to dispose of nasty batteries. Stomp downstairs and give DH a piece of my mind. GRRRR.

TIME.

Daily FreeWriting: One

 Yesterday afternoon was a recurrence of the old anxiety of living in this world today. Truly a dark day for  democracy.  A routine procedural vote to fact check states' Electoral College votes descended into a farcical riot. I had just started to not ponder what fresh hell would surface each morning. Alas, if a glimmer of hope for sanity and a safe planet appears on my horizon-- something horrific almost immediately negates it. 

 My lame joke about GA was only cheerful for a few hours. Mid afternoon POTUS45 and his herd of angry idiots literally stormed The White House. My guts churned.  I have no power to change any of this. I voted. NOT FOR HIM. I wish for peace. 

 This morning I listened to Vietnamese author Thich Nhat Hanh's Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life. 

 I wish that I didn't want to respond to his efforts, to be aware of relationships with other people and with the natural world, with sarcasm and bitterness. I photograph beauty around me. Making myself aware of my environment. Sharing positive images with the world. I do try to remedy its pollution and injustices. Apparently, I am not trying hard enough. His deceptively simple practices of breathing and centering encourage his readers to work for peace in the world. BUT HOW MUCH IS MY JOB?  He wants (I WANT) to sustain inner peace by turning mindless responses into the mindful action. In Brook's "Caleb's Crossing", the protag learns to walk through the woods not making a sound with her steps. Heel first, roll through. Katniss, my inspiration for fictional bravery, also is at peace in the woods.   (28 minutes)

New Hope

 ~No, this isn't a Star Wars post.  But this morning Georgia left the Dark Side. whew.

~I haven't written shit in months. I mean to change that starting NOW. I hereby promise to add writing for 20 minutes every morning to my ...

"On the Daily" List.

1. Walk dogs. +1mile. no matter what weather

 2. yoga/strength

 3. chicken chores

4.  Duolingo/Spanish

5.  Drink ALL the water (66oz/8 cups)

6. Write for 20 minutes.

7.  Two emails/two petitions/two "effin do gooder" tasks

Ideally, I would like to get these done before noon. My good writing time is assuredly before 8am. If I get these done. And shower and make dinner?  I WIN!