I feel as though I am once again jacked into the world. Connected. Doing things. I’ve been working on my website. I’ve been working on a book project. Yesterday, I set some poles around my well for a pump house. I mowed. I donated goods to a thrift store. And nothing felt like chores, things you had to get up for. They simply felt like things to do, and I did them. And all of that work was in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to hear a friend play his music and drink a little wine and meet people.

Today will be more of the same. I’ll water a few plants. Do more work on my website. Maybe I’ll take a long walk this morning while the air is still relatively cool. Then this evening, I’ll go hear another friend play his music. And in the meantime, I’ll play my music in my bedroom, although it is getting a little harder. Some arthritis has crept into a finger on the left hand. And none of this is a struggle. None of this is one little voice saying, come on, we have to keep moving. Now, I just move. And it feels good.

It's sort of like getting your appetite back after an illness. This time last year I had to type out a list of things to do, pin it on the wall in my kitchen, and remind myself daily to get busy. It’s still there, items dutifully crossed off, but now days I get up in the morning, knowing what I have to do and go do it. The naturalness of life is back. There’s no crisis on the horizon. No angst. No anger. Just the day to day of living and enjoying each breath as it goes in and out, with a nice cup of tea to start the day.