Best Things Today: 10/30/24
October 30, 2024
Best Things Today:
October 30, 2024
1. One of those painted sky nights tonight, and I got back from my afternoon run-around in time to go drink it in.
While out there I noticed my chinkapin oak looking all scarlet and pretty in the back yard. We definitely planted these two too close to each other (they’re about 12’ apart) but it’s hard when you’re cutting new planting beds to put trees in and you don’t want to create more work for yourself than you have time for (cutting a larger bed would mean more work!) They have been in the ground a couple of years now and are already a couple of feet taller than they were at planting. I didn’t remember that the fall color on these was so gorgeous, but ooh. It’s gorgeous.
ALSO my sandhill cranes were at the pond again. I’m tempted to bring a saw or clippers along with me one of these days because the underbrush is an annoying sight line deterrent, 😝. I wonder if anyone would mind if I just trim some of the more egregious invasive stuff down so I can see my bird friends better? This is along with stuffing my pockets full of milkweed seeds is one of those things I could never have predicted about myself when I was a younger person. One day I’ll grow up to be subversive and militant about encouraging native plants and animals. Guerrilla gardening! (No, not recommended in most cases, but I know my local area pretty well and can do a few small things to change my environment. I know the drainage ditch at the back corner has had an influx in native plant growth in the last 5 years since I first started stuffing my pockets. 😇)
2. I realized today was probably the last actually warm day around here for a good long while so I did that hippie tree hugger thing and walked around on the grass barefoot for a bit. Literal grounding, letting your feet touch the earth, is good for your body and mind.
And this time of year it’s extra excellent because most of the regular bugs that make me go eww aren’t as abundant. I don’t do this much but it’s something I recommend all the time because we kind of forget, living in these human bodies with this modern tech-driven society that we can still do things that 100 grandmothers (our grandmothers and their grandmothers and their grandmothers…) have done throughout the ages. It’s an anxiety management technique among other things, and a way to put yourself back into your body if you’ve gotten out of your body and into your head (anxiety can do that to you, but so can a lot of other things like just basic existential dread.)
I’ve heard but don’t know of the specific research that also walking backwards can help with this sort of thing when you’re feeling overwhelmed. It requires a whole lot of your overall sense of where you are in the world, balance, etc. Even better if you can walk backwards barefoot outside, but the weather and social norms won’t always permit that. But walking backwards a few steps in your office, the bathroom, a hallway won’t necessarily cause anyone to start talking about your workload and whether you need a vacation. Though maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing if it did now that I think of it
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3. Our last family member who hadn’t yet cast a ballot did his civic duty today at the Memorial Union, said the line took about an hour. Seems like he was not the only Wisconsin student to take advantage of the mild weather and easy on-campus polling places. We’re proud of our swing-stater for putting together all the required steps necessary for this. Because the rest of us put our ballots in the mail a few weeks ago it’s hard to remember that there’s still a whole thing going on here in the next week. I am hoping that when we look back at Past Us from the great perspective of a Week From Now Us we smile at the memory of our worries and our putting our bare feet on the earth to help us stay grounded. ❤️
Meanwhile, I’m pretty distracted because a family member is having a medical thing tomorrow that is a big deal. If you are able to hold good thoughts in mind (and silver sparkles, she suggested. Those are what she envisions good thoughts are like) on Halloween midday it would be appreciated. Even though I don’t really believe in anything, I actually believe in all kinds of things about the power of our own minds in our search for solutions to physical challenges we experience inhabiting our human bodies. I’ve seen this for myself in my search for migraine solutions, and I believe in my family member’s search for solutions for her challenges that has led to this medical thing that we hope will bring relief after many years of struggle. I’m grateful for the warm weather and my sandhill crane friends for keeping me company through the worrying times that the day before such things involves. And the painted skies. Those were particularly spectacular. Thanks, Mother Nature.
#BestThingsToday