In transit

I know that I said my next post would be about my guitars.  I lied.  I will still write about them, but I want to include pictures and the cable to connect the camera to the computer is still in a box.  I'm actually, ahem, borrowing someone's wireless network because we have yet to get interweb hookups in the new place.  I don't miss it much, to be honest, but it certainly has its uses.

I want to say "but I digress," but I hate that phrase.  It's so overused.  There has to be a better phrase to identify a segue... Something to think about for later.  Anyways...

The experiences of this past month - those that prompted this move to a new house - have been the most stressful of my life.  I was physically exhausted by anger and frustration.  Now that we have settled, and that the issues have been all but resolved, I welcome the opportunity to sit and reflect on what I have learned.

I have learned to detach myself from material things.  In preparation for the move, I purged my personal belongings.  One of my co-workers said something the other day that I found quite insightful; he said that we never really own anything, we just have long-term rentals.  I do not enjoy the feeling of being tied to physical objects.  They are cumbersome, and maintaining them costs time and money.  I'm sure that I share a common sentiment in saying that I rarely have enough of either.  That which I do have, I would rather spend with my family and friends.  In seeking to satisfy our personal desires, how often do we overlook the ease with which we can fulfill our needs?  I try to remind myself every day to be grateful for the lasting things in life, the necessities that I am never without.

I have learned that the support from my family and friends is unconditional.  Even when I doubted myself, and the course of action that I ought to take, there was always someone to remind or reassure or assist.  I am deeply grateful to those who helped me to get through this difficult time.  Thank you all for your kindness.

I have learned that the seasons of our lives will always bring winters.  There's something poetic (though I lack the poetry to truly expound upon it) in the cold, the bitterness, the pressing need to overcome in order to make new beginnings.  Difficulties in relationships, personal wellness, finances and many other trials are passing things, often prolonged only by unwillingness to take significant action to overcome them.  Perhaps I was in need of something drastic to push me out of complacency.

Finally, I have learned that between full-time work, duties as a father and housekeeper, commitments to musical projects, and the many other distractions of modern life, an opportunity to sit in my recliner and quietly enjoy a beer at the end of the day should never be passed up.  So with that, I bid you all goodnight.