A Time to Recharge

Field notes:?

I awoke today to pea?soup fog in my Bernal neighborhood, after a deep night's rest, after a 10 day?sojourn.?

With the Sierras to the east and coast to the west, moisture is trapped in our Bay, and the high atmospheric pressure is a lid that maintains it. Called tule fog, it's different from summer fog ("Fogust," in my terms) since it's lower, wetter and even thicker than usual. It's named after the wet grasslands of CA's central valley.

Travel has been the best education. The act of leaving and returning grants me a beginner's mind, rare and new insights into familiar environments, a deeper appreciation of my surroundings, and a new perspective?on a place's inhabitants. (This knowledge?gained is in addition to the vast history?lesson into geography, politics, language, art, and culture that I've gleaned from living?in disparate places.)

This trip made audible the call to the mountains, which I've already heard and heeded, but now know it resides within me still, ardent as ever. A mountain cabin full-time is a no-go, for a hermit or recluse I am not. As wondrous as the communion with nature is- living close to the land, offline?even off grid, skiing-hiking-biking each day, having moments of immersive, experiential joy (This trip held one: I lunched lakeside with a single duckling, watching him dive-bomb his way to his lunch, gulping fishes, and imagining the richness of his delight upon realizing this whole lake is his alone.)- the friendships, socialization, and crucial resources like diverse food and quality medical care are all nonnegotiables for me. This point, as well, is something I've already learned the hard way after 2 years in Slovakia, and the latter benefits of living in society remain my must haves.?

How much of life is finding out what you've already discovered about yourself, something you've hidden away, become unconscious of, or forsaken to fulfill duties of work and family or fit into a group or community? Why do so many of us forever renounce our own needs, allowing a false self to spring to the forefront, only realizing the extent of our unfulfilled dreams and yearnings on our deathbeds, if then? At once, I see this as a tragic shame and a necessary part of keeping society well functioning. Surely there is a balance.?

Another lesson from this trip is the value?of rest, reset and recharge time, for the health and happiness of oneself and the care toward one's dearest relationships. Amidst the backdrop of our global turmoil, time to replenish is indispensable.?

When my "cup is full" as my best friend says, I can give abundant creative energy to my home and work, and partake in in-depth strategic planning for the future. I can give what, in our tech-focused era, is the greatest honor: the gift of my full, present, undivided attention.?