Blame it on Downward Dog

 

Upward cattail

It all started during Downward Dog.

There one is, upside down and backwards, staring at nothing in particular, yoga-stretching every limb to wake up & shine, when suddenly a thought arises out of nowhere.

“I want to blog again.”

You stretch again and ease down on your stomach and ponder that bold statement.  Of course, this assertion arises now and again.  It may appear during meditation, or perhaps while nibbling popcorn.  It may nudge randomly during a frigid November walk down the road, or perhaps in a hot tub in Florida.

This thought of blogging comes; it goes.  How seriously should one take it?  Usually I wait until the next morning and the thought has exited into the ethers.

However, this morning, somewhere between Upward and Downward Dog, excitement continued to build.

YES!  shouted something inside.  I WANT TO SHARE AGAIN!

Ice circle of life in the driveway

Of course, this was partially precipitated by Cindy’s comment on Thanksgiving.  I was cooking the turkey in the oven, just enough for Barry and me in our Little House in the Big Woods, when the iPad sang.  When the iPad sings, one puts down baster and scurries to find out who’s dinging.

Cindy blogs from “down south” on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.  I fly over her neck of the woods from time to time.  A month ago we celebrated a family wedding in Charlevoix and Petoskey, just across the way from Cindy’s Island in the Big Lake.

Her comment read:

You read – and “liked” – one of my recent posts, which caused a message to be sent to my inbox, with a selection of your posts that I might like. That led me to this post, which is wonderful! I just re-blogged it, this Thanksgiving Day, with this introduction:”My friend Kathy, who writes from the woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, shared these wise thoughts a few years ago. I think they’re well worth sharing again.”
By the way, once I was there, I spent about an hour reading things you’ve written over the years. I felt my heart swell; I laughed out loud; I smiled in recognition of my own struggles in your words. By the time I got up, I had tears in my eyes, for missing you, and your once frequent entry into my days through your writing. I hope you’re well, and happy, and continuing to spread joy and insight through your life, if not through your written words. Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow.  People say nice things like this from time to time and I’m often tempted to write once again.  Yet something about Thanksgiving and Downward Dog and Writing and the fast-approaching deep winter seemed to shift the possibility.

Nature loves circles

I was almost in agreement with paying the $96 annual fee to reinstate Lake Superior Spirit when…

NO! You’ve got to be kidding!  Kathy, get serious.  You know how badly you’ve burned out on blogging in the past.  You get all compulsive and feel obligated to respond to every commenter.  You imagine that you’ve invited fifty people for tea in your living room every time you blog.  You deeply connect with everyone…and then go back to read fifty blogs.  YOU CAN’T DO THIS ANY MORE!!

I thought for the next few hours.  Can I blog once again without burning out?  Can a quiet contemplative lifestyle be nurtured even while sharing?

So am going to start blogging again just to yak and share and ruminate, but will not be responding to comments or reading other blogs in gratitude and connection unless Spirit nudges during the corpse pose.

Until tomorrow or the next day or next week or next month, your long-lost blogger,  Kathy