Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Simple pleasures

It’s been a really tiring week so far. Not bad, just tiring. A few disturbed nights. Lots of after-school driving around. Yesterday I had an all-day training course that involved lots of talking and interaction - and you can guess how that feels to an extreme introvert!

Tomorrow at work we have a couple of end-of-summer events on the same day, a coincidence born of the way our organization has been split and reorganized over the past couple of years. A lunchtime barbecue for our physical office, including some of my staff plus colleagues in the same office but now belonging to a different branch, and an after-work round of mini-golf and pub meal for my branch involving staff from three different offices.

This afternoon I sat at my desk looking at my calendar and the very thought left me feeling drained! Not that I don’t enjoy all those things but ... introvert ... it’s tiring at the same time.

This evening I dropped Matthew off at Venture Scouts, a ten minute drive from home, and drove back along the coast road.

The sun was almost set behind the hill to one side. It was nearly dark, but the sky - immaculately clear - still glowed above and the mirror-smooth sea picked up the light in a luminous milky blue.

I thought, “That’s pretty” and drove on. Then I thought, “Dammit, I live in such a beautiful part of the world yet when did I last take just a few minutes to stop and look at it?”

So I did something drastic and daring for me. Instead of driving on home, I pulled in and stopped. Just for five minutes. But it was quiet, introvert, me time. Islands in the distance. The lights of a few boats. Mountains off to one side. A seal sculling lazily near the shore.

Peace.

So simple.

So rare that we take the time to appreciate it.

5 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Ian - I can imagine the setting ... just lovely - we do need to take time out and be 'at peace'. That's way too much going on - still at least it's with people you know ... enjoy - cheers Hilary

stephen Hayes said...

I know what you mean. The other day I was watching TV and when I turned my head I noticed a beautiful sunset. I turned off the TV to watch it. Glad I did.

Botanist said...

Hilary, I need to remind myself and get more into the habit of enjoying time out.

Stephen, I was glad I stopped, too. I felt so refreshed afterwards.

Jean Davis said...

Good for you. We definitely need to take those few minutes to stop and enjoy more often. I've been getting up before sunset to enjoy the quiet and the view...and usually I end up lost in a book and look up to realize I missed the sunrise. Oops. I try though. :)

Botanist said...

Jean, well, lost in a book is still unwinding :)

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