Cutting off this blog--I need a break--I'll be back.
It’s time again.
Last blogging break on Lake Superior Spirit was–hold on a sec, must check–December 29th through January 10th. (Just counted on the fingers. That was thirteen days.)
I would have lasted longer for the epiphany-of-winter blogging break, except for the gall bladderless situation (said organ was removed right before Christmas in a laparoscopic way).
Did. Not. Feel. Well. Finally decided to leap back in to the blogging world because “girls just want to have fun“. Blogging is fun. It makes you forget the discomfort in your gall bladderless area.
And–as we all know–blogging is a miracle medicine! It made me feel better. Provided giggles. Friendship. Entertainment. Excitement. All the usual blogging thrills.
Three months after surgery–March 20th, to be exact–I started feeling well again. Remarkably well. So well that evening would arrive, followed by the thought, “Hey! I didn’t think about the gall bladderless area all day!” Life was returning to normal.
Fast forward to this last week. I have suddenly been longing for silence again. A blogless respite. A blogless vacation. Time off. (But of course–the part of me that loves blogging is scowling and carrying on and whimpering. Therefore you must speak sternly to the part of yourself which would write a blog every day until you die: shhhh, quiet now. We need a break. You’ve had center stage for a while now. The rest of us want to watch the ice melt. The grass grow. It’s just a vacation. Shush, now.)
The blog-lover part tried to subvert the blogless plan. It slyly suggested this morning, “Hey! Here’s your next blog. Let’s go to one of your secret outdoor places and blog about it. Let’s take pictures of the ice melting and the grass re-appearing…and how about your pileated woodpecker skull? C’mon! What else do you have happening today anyway?”
Usually this kind of talk is enough to make one succumb to the creative blogging self. And I almost did.
Drove to the Secret Spot along Lake Superior. The spot hardly anyone knows about. You have to go down a secret hill and walk along secret rocks. It’s a sacred special place…
Except something in me said, “Enough“. Enough sharing. Enough sharing. Enough sharing. Stop moving outward for a while. Move inward. Listen more. Share less. Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet…
“But I love to share photos and stories,” I try one last time, but the silence within drowns out my attempts to continue blogging without a break.
OK. The silence wins. I am going to watch the snow melt. The ice melt. To watch the green grass reappear and start to grow. To maybe witness a Spring Beauty blossom emerge from the forest floor. To listen to robins sing before the first light stains the sky. To watch spring come.
Snow melting. Grass growing.
How long will I be gone? Now you sound like Barry. He always wants to know whether I’ll be walking up the road or down the road. Where am I going?
I say, “I have no idea, Barry. If something calls me down the road, that’s where I’ll go. Or maybe a chickadee will call up the road, and the feet shall follow her song.”
I’ll be back when the vacation is over. When the blogger decides she’s had enough listening to the grass grow. Maybe in ten days. Maybe in two weeks. Maybe a month.
How can you predict these things?
Hoping you enjoy the green sprouts as they seed and flower in the April of your lives. Hoping you have time to sit upon the earth listening to the grass grow. (In the woods you can really hear the grass grow. It rustles and moves through the cover of dried autumn leaves.)
Hope to see you soon!
Lake Superior Spirit 
Enjoy your respite Kathy! Savor the silence –well except for the sound of the grass growing! 🙂 My prayers will be with you on this quiet journey. Godspeed my friend!
thank you, Brenda–so much. No grass growing yet, but lots of leaves rustling. I sat out next to the snow-melting stream for at least 45 minutes today. Nothing to do, no place to go…except to relax deeper into the folds of nature.
Kathy I hope you are still reading these messages and I hope you know you don’t need to feel obligated to respond…just know I am thinking about you and wishing you peace and serenity. Guess what? I was out raking yesterday and my hollyhocks are growing! I’m ready for summer now! 🙂 God Bless You Kathy! hugs
Brenda, I just finished responding to everyone’s comments–will continue to respond to comments during the short time I’m on the computer during the day. Hey, congrats on your hollyhocks! Summer? Summer, you say?? Oh my–that’s still a distant thought. God bless you, too!
Although I love it when you write, Kathy, because you share sooo much of your world and your insights with us, I can also understand that you really do need a break from it all sometimes. I think we all have those quiet times. I miss you when you aren’t writing for a while, but I do understand. So – hugs and lots of happy, serene thoughts your way.
Reggie, for some reason, I have been wondering, “What would life be like without the desire to share it? Just to simply BE–to not be writing blogs in the head, not be wanting to share every single angle and thought with the world?” That’s the question I’m exploring. How to slow down the thoughts and just walk on the earth in a sacred way. Thanks for your support, sweetie!
Enjoy your break, Kathy! I just found your blog not too long ago, and really enjoy it and because of that I hope you hurry back. You will be missed!
Micheala, it is so interesting to stop our usual routines–and try something different–and see what we can learn about ourselves from the break. Thank you for your kind well-wishes. (These comments made me weepy yesterday. So much kindness here.)
Oh my Kathy, I love you listening deeply to yourself. And, finally, getting in agreement with what you hear. Such fine arguers we can be!
I honor your choices.
I will miss your posts but I know they will return in perfect timing.
Until then, just know I am listening to the chickadees too.
All my love, Quiet, S
Suzi, ohmygosh, what fine arguers we can be! And which part of the self do we listen to? That’s always my question. Because every part seems genuine and true and worth exploring. Smiling at you listening to the chickadees. You are probably smelling the wind or cherry pie, too. I love reading your posts rich with feelings and sounds and scents and birdsong.
Sounds good. Take care! 🙂
Emma, it’s wonderful already. The voice in the head is growing quieter. Sat on a hillside for almost an hour today, just being. Life is good. thank you!
Enjoy your time, Kathy! Everyone needs a break. Even if it’s something enjoyable, too much can be overwhelming. Let yourself recharge – and when you feel inspired, we’ll all be glad to hear from you! 🙂
Needing that re-charge, Holly. Really needing it. (Even though another part of me could post every day single day.) Hope to see you soon.
As usual, I hope it is sooner, rather than later, that we hear from you again – I feel like you are my sister in blog theme and in camera-ownership, especially in camera-ownership as we learn our ways with the Rebels. I hope you’ll keep taking pictures during your silence, and you’ll take something so beautiful you’ll just have to share! 🙂 And maybe, just possibly, keep another blogger’s photo hunt at the back of your mind? I’d love to see the “Kathy” version.
Hey, I like that sisters image, Karma. In blog theme and Rebel! I don’t know if I will be taking pictures or not. Part of me is soooo tired of carrying around the camera everywhere for over two years. I kind of just want to look at a pileated woodpecker without plotting how to get its portrait. Don’t know about the current scavenger hunt, either, but, gosh, got to do it one of these days. They are fun!
A good rest rejuvenates… come back when you are ready, refreshed and ready, happy, healthy and well.
Have fun whilst you are away so that you can have even more fun when you get back.
Take care!!!
Thank you for your kind words, kiwidutch. This morning the sun is shining and the temperature is warm and it’s going to be a good day. I hope you are having a fun day today, too–and see you soon.
Enjoy BEing still. Enjoy BEing quiet. Enjoy your space. We’ll be here waiting when you get back.
Enjoying it tremendously already, Laurie. Although Barry has plans for us today–which involve a car & driving–so will have to wait for the grass growing tomorrow. Thinking of you at your writing workshop and imagining all the fun you’re having!
Enjoy the peace and come back when you’re ready …we’ll be waiting …
Thank you, Sybil! It is peaceful and quiet. Went for a long walk in the woods this afternoon, stopping many times on hillsides to just listen to the water trickle down the streams as the snow melts up in the hills. Wishing you a fine April in Nova Scotia.
Offers birthday cake.
Birthday is not until July, unless you are speaking of earth day birthday cake? Or was it YOUR birthday??
Kathy, silence so deep you can actually hear the grass grow. I can feel it in my heart too. XXOO
Colleen, I know you can feel it in your heart, too. I would like to sit on a hillside with you and listen to the grass grow. (Barry insists that you must have to sit for a long time to actually hear grass grow. But I’m not sure he’s right. We do, however, have to wait until later in April to hear the grasses moving upward through the dried leaves. Not quite yet. XOXOXO
Kathy!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Laugh out loud *in silence* boyfriend is still sleeping. I’ll miss you and so will everyone else who reads your blog, it IS truly refreshing to read your blogs I know I’ve said that a million times over yet it is true. I LOVE to getting the email notification in my inbox each morning it’s like getting a ‘snail’ mail letter from someone you haven’t heard from in years. I know that when you to take a brake you have to.
Take care
Blog SOON
You are such a sweetheart…thank you. Your words melted my heart (not just the snow!) and grass is growing in me now. 🙂 Bless you…and you take care, too.
Hi Kathy,
I’ve been extremely busy at work this month, hardly that I was able to get here. And this weekend when I read your topmost post, I read that You are on a break! That’s a nice thing to do once in a while, enjoy your spring time, be relaxed! Hope to see you back soon!! 🙂
Luv
Sonali
Sonali, it’s delightful to see you again! I am sorry to hear you’ve been so busy this month. I know I hopped over to your blog a few times to see if you’d written recently. Hope all is well for you India.
Enjoy your break. Stay away for as long as you need.
Hugs.
Thanks for the hugs, Val. I know you always take breaks when you need them, too. Blessings…
Goodbyeeeeeeee! Soak up spring. Enjoy the silence. Rejuvenate. And then come back and share some more.
Gooodbyeeee to you, too, Barb! And you just made me smile. I am soaking up spring like you wouldn’t believe. It was almost 60 degrees today and it was a delight to luxuriate on the hillsides in the woods in silence.
I don’t like to admit it but… I’m envious. I want a break so badly that I suspect my blog posts are suffering for it. The other day M said, “You should at least take the weekends off.” And I had to reply, “But the commitment was for every day.” All whining and complaining aside, I’m learning from it so I’ll keep on keeping on for now.
Enjoy your break. The ice melts and grass grows at their own pace. I think if you follow their example, you’ll know exactly when you’re ready to come back or keep extending your break. 🙂
Robin, I can feel your desire to have a break. Feeling it so much…is there a way you can give yourself a break by only posting maybe one picture and maybe a paragraph on some days? That way you’ve still gone outside and posted, but not as much. (Maybe on weekends?) And giving yourself a break from checking comments/emails/hits also might provide you with the respite for which you’re longing?
Know you’re right about the heart knowing when to come back. Will be listening.
You don’t fool me. You are going on Spring Break. Probably going to be drinking, running around naked and getting into all kinds of trouble. 😉 Enjoy but don’t call me if you need to get bailed out of some jail in Mexico.
OK, Scott, you knew I was going to laugh for five minutes after reading this, didn’t you? And Barry read it last night and he laughed, too. (Maybe it’s the image of me running around naked which has us in stitches–can’t quite picture it–or maybe don’t want to!) I’ll call you if I land in jail. You’ll post bail won’t you? lol!
Enjoy yourself. But…take a few pictures so you can show us when you get back!
Thank you, Elle. I haven’t taken the camera out of the bag, yet, but may consider it in a few days or week… There’s always a lot of views and things tempting one to take photographs!
Enjoy your break.
Thanks, bearyweather! I hope the snow melts in Minnesota. Soon.
Me too … lakes are still frozen, the snow piles and snow in the shade are still visible but a lot of it melted this weekend with warm temps and lots of rain.
Unfortunately, those darn weather forecasters are saying “measurable” .. “shovel-able” … snow is coming our way for the weekend.
“many Inches” … I hope they are wrong … it is the middle of April!
Taking blogging time off this weekend to shovel does not sound like fun.
“Measurable” doesn’t sound optimal, bearyweather…darn it! One weather forecast for the weekend here says snow; the other says rain. We’ll see what arrives! (Hope you don’t have to shovel much.)
Does this mean I have to start responding to your emails to find out what you’re doing with your days? Ha.ha.ha!
ha ha ha, Kiah! YES! It means you have to start responding to my emails. Or you won’t have a clue. LOL!! Write me back!!
I think a break is a great idea. I keep thinking that I’ll set up some posts in advance (I have many drafts) and just send them off, but I don’t. Enjoy yourself. We’ll still be here when you return.
Tammy, that’s a good idea about writing posts in advance. (Never thought of that one!) Already enjoying myself…and will be delighted to see you later on, maybe as the violets bloom.
Wishing you silence, the warmth of spring, and chickadee blessings, Kathy!
Oh those blessings are lovely, Barbara. The chickadees and juncos and finches have been skittering around the feeder. Two mourning doves waddle nearby. Robins pull long earthworms from the warming soil. Woodpeckers drum in the woods on trees and partridge drum their mating call on the ground. Blessings indeed! Thank you.
Enjoy your vacation. Rejuvenate. Refuel. Relax. Listen to the snow and ice melt and the grass grow, watch the spring flowers bloom, inhale the fresh scent of spring. Come back when you’re ready; we’ll be here waiting.
Carol, already I feel so relaxed and refreshed and rejuvenated, but am still spending more time off. The fresh scent of spring is beautiful. Yesterday walked down to the lake and just sat in a swamp and listened to the seagulls shriek, the fish splash and the redwing blackbirds sing. Thank you!
Well, I am here to welcome you, when you come back. I was born and raised in Michigan. Right out of graduate school at NMU, I moved to Alaska and have been here for over 30 years.
This August, I am coming back to Marquette for a visit…it is a place I dearly love and think about often…the land, the people, Lake Superior, the sky, anything and everything “up north”.
Happy I found your blog!
Nice to meet you, Monica. I’m thinking that “up north” is pretty “down south” for you in Alaska! Hope to get to know you better after my blogging break. How fun that you’ll get to come back to Marquette this summer!
I hope you feel better soon, blogging is like breathing to you. I feel this way about taking photographs too.
Heal well and everyone is thinking of you I am sure.
Hi June~~that is such an interesting thing to say~~that blogging is like breathing for me. You are kinda right, you know. It has been a good time off so far. Part of me is ready to come back & blog again, but am still going to spend some more time in spiritual retreat. Thank you.