Reading & Missing the Rain, Just a Little

Despite the busy-ness of a new job and a natural inclination to be really social -- to learn names and meet people and pursue volunteer opportunities and endless hobbies (Badminton! Singing! Yoga! Art! Writing! Jogging!), I’m trying to be realistic. That includes taking things down a notch. Enjoying the solitude. In life thus far, there’s felt like there’s been too much of it, now I’m realizing not to take it (or any amount of time for that matter) for granted. Daily or weekly quiet time on my own seems to be the recharge that I need for life and work right now. I’ll never say no to spending time with a friend, but one or two of those hobbies sometimes need to take a back seat in favor of quieter more reflective time. Sometimes the hobbies themselves provide that. 

Besides walking along and gazing at the ocean, I’m trying to read more and as there’s always so much I want to read, I’m adopting a new approach to giving in to my interests at that moment. There’s always a laundry list of books I hope to read and nearly always I commit to finishing the one I’m on before starting a new one. But like food, I experience cravings for books, for authors or genres or locations or times in history to be immersed in. I’m trying to let those cravings speak more, to read a little bit of what I want at that moment. For me, so much of the attraction to reading and writing is thinking and learning. It’s what I miss most about being a full-time student and what I look for in a job. Reading is being somewhere else. And if there’s an inclination to read something specific, it feels right.

Not feeling right is adjusting to a rain-free environment. Similar to time, I’m reminding myself to not take the blue sky days (or any days here) for granted. They’re beautiful and I do really like the consistency in weather. Outdoor plans have yet to be cancelled or rearranged, occasionally the fog or clouds intrude but every day is predictable and nothing more than a light jacket has ever been needed. Every few weeks though, a strange expectation for rain has arrived in my thoughts. I haven’t seen it since I arrived two and a half months ago and even locals have brought it up when they’ve asked how long I’ve been here; one responded with, “you haven’t seen rain yet then, we haven’t seen it since March.” The two umbrellas in my car are overlooked and my hoods haven’t seen much use. I suspect in time my mind will adjust, I won’t expect rainy or overcast days every few weeks like I’ve lived with. I never expected I’d miss them, but they do seem to become a part of the rhythm I know. Remaining indoors or sleeping late as rain falls outdoors feels so familiar, and so welcome.

In other news, I baked some of my favorite scones over the weekend with a friend and bought more than a few more succulents. I then promised myself that as irresistible as they are, my succulent purchasing was finished for 2016.