Day #4 In the Mountains

I've been blessed, and I'm cursed.

I'm blessed to have this lovely sunny view of the woods today, as I relax in the screened-in second floor deck here at the Crooked Acorn Lodge on top of the mountain.

Screened in ---> no bugs, bats or snakes.  Second floor ---> no bears.  (First floor is stone walls.)  I feel safe and secure.

I'm blessed to be able to hear the "sounds of silence."  No motors, no traffic, no music, no talking.  Just peace and quiet along with the pleasant sounds of the woods.

Today I heard a whippoorwill calling his song, over and over and over.  A chickadee was an occasional backup singer.  In the distance I could faintly hear the vibration of a woodpecker working on a tree.  Another bird practiced his minor two toned message repeatedly, never quite resolving the question.

Again, I heard the regular buzzing of incoming hummingbirds.  It got more exciting today, though - there were two hummers duking it out for a spot on the feeder.  They fight quite viciously.

I've heard that you will only see two hummers on a feeder simultaneously right before they are ready to make their southward winter migration.  Apparently then, they concede that they need the sustenance more than the superiority.  There's probably a wise message of some sort in there that the warring nations of this earth should heed.

There were a variety of bugs that landed nearby me on the porch screen today.  Perhaps they were curious about me.

 Last Saturday on my way up here, I had stopped and bought a frozen half-baked pizza at one of our favorite pizza joints.  So, along with a few fresh veggies and a small glass of wine, I was blessed to have one of my favorite foods for dinner.

Even at this altitude the pizza tasted good.

I've been blessed to have these days to rest, read, pray, relax, and contemplate.  There is a dream I have, a very large dream, and for me to make my dream a reality:

   - I must rely on discipline.

   - I must focus on the journey, not the destination.

   - I must stay healthily discontent.

   - I must maximize the work I do.

   - I will take action, and avoid excuses.

   - I will generate momentum.

   - I will promote family teamwork.

   - I will initiate.

   - I will embrace risk as necessary.

   - I will stay responsible for my success.

I'm praying that these things will be firmly fixed in my head.

Yes, I've been blessed, but I've also been cursed.

How am I cursed, you may ask?

I've come down with a whoppin' case of poison ivy, and it makes resting and focusing on anything darn near impossible.  I want to absolutely claw myself to shreds.  

I'm just gonna take that distraction as a sign that something really good is about to happen in my life.