I would like
one of these...perhaps second cousin, twice-removed?
really, I think it's cool.
Cruel Caradhras
not even Gandalf...Caradhras is the mountain that the Fellowship tried to cross to get to Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings. Saruman caused the weather to beat the Fellowship back and forced them to go through the Mines of Moria. well, with the snow I'm trying to shovel today and its metaphoric relevance to my life I couldn't help but draw a relationship to my life and Caradhras.
I shoveled for about an hour this morning, and got to the highest part of the drift/snowplow pile (about 6 feet tall), and when I could look over the other side, there was still another 15 feet to go before I could even begin to uncover the van... it was at that point that the wind began to pick up and whip around me and I decided that I was beaten, at least for a while. I will need to go back out shortly, and attack it again, as there are no Mines of Moria for me to retreat to, no alternative route. I suppose I could strap on the snowshoes and go over, but again, metaphorically, that would seem to be the way I've always done it. that or wait for someone else to take care of it.
I'm just tired. beaten seemingly from all directions with very little extra energy to face the tasks. I just want to not do anything, and have that be ok.
it is beautiful outside, but the energy I draw from that doesn't seem to last long enough.
back at it. one shovel at a time.
snow
day...well, they're calling it the Storm of the Century...
I might even get out the camera and take some pictures. but, WorldofWarcraft is calling...
enjoy your day!
all that one
can do...my mantra over the last couple of weeks has been, "one foot in front of the other"... so far, it's working; I am getting from one day to the next. matter-of-fact, I had a wonderful last two days directing the Green Mountain District Middle School Chorus Festival in Rutland. it was really incredibly filling, and I thank that amazing group of middle school musicians.
I also caught this quote from Wordsmith that shows up on my site. (yeah, I sometimes don't even catch what's on my own site... I just check it to make sure someone hasn't spammed my comments...) anyway:
it's really all you can do.This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, argue, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look, laugh, cajole, create, confront, confound, walk back, walk forward, circle, hide, and seek. To seek: to embrace the questions, be wary of answers.
-Terry Tempest Williams, naturalist and author (1955- )
from Wordsmith.org