There are days when I swear things are going to Hell on rocket-powered roller-skates. Some pundits describe the daily disclosures from DC as “drip, drip, drip”; to me, they look more like deluges. It’s easy to get sucked into incessantly watching or reading the news for fear of what’s next. Sometimes you just have to unplug. These are my main sanity maintenance strategies.
“Watching the river run (an old Loggins and Messina song).” The parade of boats, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and birds on the Sammamish behind our home calms me down.
The pool. In addition to lively locker-room conversations, the early-morning lap swims are essential to reducing stress. Unfortunately, my pool will be closed for major maintenance for nearly eight weeks starting in early August. This means my major sweaty sanity maintenance mechanism will be…
The bike. There have been times this summer when getting home on Flash (or Flash plus light rail) is faster than driving or taking the bus. I often mute the cell phone on my commutes and weekend rides to avoid interruptions. Last Thursday I had my first Himalayan blackberries of the season on the ride home. I also assisted three tourists who’d taken the light rail from the airport to the University of Washington find their way to the bus to the Fremont neighborhood. And then there’s always…
My own two feet. Sometimes when I take the bus to work I walk downtown and catch a bus home from there. We haven’t done any hiking so far this year, but the Burke-Gilman Trail is just a block away. I can also find lots of blackberries along the trail. One in the bowl, two down the gullet…
Passive pursuits. Some nights the best I can do is watch reruns of Seinfeld or The Big Bang Theory. Since I didn’t watch the shows when they were first broadcast, they’re not reruns to me. Last night I watched a documentary on Israeli cuisine.
Experiments in cuisine. When I’m working on a new recipe, I try to keep distractions to a minimum. The TV may be on in the background, but I’m only half-listening.
Finally, sleep. I can ignore the lunacy for seven hours. I get into my nightshirt, read a few pages of an apolitical book, and turn out the light.
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