7:00 am
57° & sunny
≈ S 2mph
94% humidity
Journal Series #2

I wish I had woken up in a campervan this morning.

Specifically, Actually, I wish I woke up on TOP of a campervan this morning, unzipping the sides of a rooftop sleeper to the cool air and the sounds of life: Birds calling to each other and the sound of wind brushing through the trees.

It is one of those mornings. The ones that remind me, with a jolt to assault on every single sense, that I’m alive.

I was listening to The Slow Home Podcast yesterday and the host, Brooke, shared a pretty incredible insight about awe. After reading a few articles about it, she became obsessed with the idea that being in awe — of both the big and small daily experiences — has the ability to almost warp time.

In those moments — a sweeping view at the pinnacle of a 3-hour hike or something as seemingly commonplace as listening to rain hit the metal roof of our house as I fall asleep or smelling the mint on my fingers after picking its aromatic leaves from our garden — it is as if time stands still.

And, the more of those moments we have, the more time slows, and the more time we then have to continue finding pockets of awe in our lives.

I lost that for a while. While I focused on productivity and measured success (and, let’s be honest, self-worth) with check-marks on to-do lists, I didn’t have or make time for awe. Now, it’s all I want.

More mornings like this morning when I touched the dirt with my toes before touching my phone. More journaling before opening my computer and, when I do open it, catch up on my new favorite blogs or Googling “how to test soil pH” before checking my email.

The windows of my house are thrown open and the fresh air is slowly mingling with the smell of banana bread lazily drifting from the oven. I can feel the rise and fall of Blue’s body as he dozes next to me, and the roosters across the street announce the start of another gorgeous summer day here in Vermont.

It is going to be a good one. A long walk will lead into some calls for work calls (I’ll take them outside, wifi willing) and then Sam and I are FINALLY going to go get the finger tattoos we’ve wanted since our honeymoon.

Then, we’re off to heading across the street to the first Hudak Farm Party of the summer!

goals for the day

1. Feet in the dirt at least 3x
2. Make the next batch of mint & lemon water
3. Water plants (for real this time, they didn’t need it yesterday)
4. Long walk to return compost and grab eggs
5. Take work calls in the sunshine
6. Brainstorm my favorite slow-living and homesteading resources for tomorrow’s post