Experiment with Nature – 48 Hour Mark

So day two of my three day experiment with nature was truly perfect. We had fun, just good clean (or dirty) fun.

The first part of the day was doing exactly what Zoya wanted to do. She wanted to explore the trails around our cabin and go in the streams. I bandaged up her chin to keep it dry and protected and I let her lead the way. I don’t know if you can teach a sense of direction, but I want to try with Zoya. I used to have no sense of direction but it must have improved over the years, because recently I’ve been with some people who really don’t know where they came from or where they are going. Frequently, when we are not in a rush, I let her find the way back to places. She loves it and I am more patient when I am teaching something rather than when we are just moving at her slow speed.

We spent the last half of the day in Ball Ground, GA, a town where a complete map can give distances in steps. I’ve been infatuated by this town since I drove through on my way to interview a political candidate in a past life. This was the first time we were able to really stop and enjoy the town and it exceeded expectations. I knew I was getting to a good place when I found myself enjoying talking to the shop owners, since my stress retreat is to avoid all extraneous conversations.

I noted the 48 hours mark, but was having way too much fun in the moment to stop and write, and to give a bit of a preview for day three, by the time she had fallen asleep and I had time to write I was not in a happy joyful place.

WORK

But at the two day mark, all was well, I had a few work conversations, but it was all good news, so nothing distracted me.

PARENTING

I am always more patient with Zoya when I am prioritizing moving at her speed. She was in love with everything and when she laid down on the bench in the bus-restaurant, I asked her what she was doing and she said, “I’m thinking about how wonderful God made the world.”

LIFE RHYTHMS

I love small towns. I have a whole different feeling of safety and relaxation when I am exploring a small town. Now I’m terribly curious whether Georgia contains other towns as fantastic as Ball Ground that we need to explore.

CAMPING

I’m not quite sure about camping. We may be day trippers and lodge stayers. It may just be a summer issue, but I’m getting a little on edge about all the spiderwebs I have walked through in the woods.