Inner Workings discussion

I was having a day.

I called my friend. She called me back after her 10 mile race. I happened to be at the Art Institute at that moment, in its new building. Exiled outside into a gorgeous early fall day with my phone, she and I talked for an hour. I was in the Pritzker Garden, which was fortunately (inexplicably) completely empty.

I started out in a corner talking quietly. Every now and then people would pass through and I would retreat to a chair, talk quietly. When people left, I would stand up and start pacing. Arms gesticulating. Head nodding. For about 3o minutes.

The pacing. It’s a really bad habit I have when I’m on the phone. I might have been a performance art piece for all anyone knew.

My friend was telling me that life does not move at the pace I would like. That I need the time I am taking to go through things, get the house ready, get the kids ready to move.

Until I started actually going through the things in my house I didn't know how much time I really needed. I got through the first floor of the house in three days. I thought I could get through the whole house in three days. 6,000 square feet and four years of accumulation in three days. Yeah... right. Yesterday I had help. I needed that help.

At some point, when I really started listening to what she was saying, I stopped pacing in front of this tiny twig of a tree.

Its bark was peeling off like sunburned skin. I stood there for the remainder of the conversation staring at that tree.

Thinking about pace. And wabi sabi. How change is inevitable… but that I don’t control that change.

So I took a picture of that tree and it’s now the wallpaper on my phone.

That's good Shel. Step away in your mind once in awhile. look at the tree bark.