Life in the Slow Lane

Contemplating life, faith, words, and memories

Category: Time

Deadlines — September 2, 2019
eleventh hour, clock, late, deadlines, schedules

Deadlines

/Sherrey Meyer/4 Comments

Deadlines are a component of writing, blogging, and appointment keeping. You have to schedule a certain time for your new post to hit your readers’ inboxes or social media. A doctor’s appointment must be kept so we set a deadline by which we need to be parked and in his office. Writing often requires submissions on a set schedule that must be followed.

My Monday deadline for the blog is somewhat cast in stone in my mind. I want to have the new post ready by Sunday afternoon and scheduled to post at approximately 5:30 a.m. Pacific time on Monday. In my plan, I see my post hitting its various destinations in good timing.

Not this morning! A myriad of causes kept me from my usual plan. And I’ll not bore you with them.

Instead, I’ll wish you a happy and productive Monday!

Forever Memories — August 23, 2019
Methow Valley, Winthrop WA, wildflowers

Forever Memories

/Sherrey Meyer/10 Comments
 
 
Forever memories are those that stay with you for…well, forever. In conversation with others, forever memories trigger a certain response from you. You want to share the excitement, the reactions you felt, the way the memory has lasted. Almost as if whatever happened was yesterday.
 
A decade or so ago we took a vacation that has become a forever memory. And if you’ve read William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways, you know what blue highways are. If not, the answer is simple. Older Rand McNally road atlases and maps identified the various types of roadways with color. Major highways appeared in red. Out-of-the-way highways running through small, almost unknown, rural towns appeared in blue.
 
Our trip was not as long as Heat-Moon’s nor was it circular as his was. But we did have certain restrictions that forced the use of blue highways:
 
  • The direction in which we traveled remained unknown until our morning of departure. This part of our trip was decided over breakfast. We would pull a direction—north, south, east or west—from a hat. Bob drew north.
  • A hard and almost fast rule depended on one condition. Travel had to be via blue highways unless there was no access between Points A and B other than a major highway. This forced a sense of nostalgia and relaxation as a major component of our travel.
  • We confirmed no reservations for overnight accommodations. And only once had a difficult time finding availability.
  • No time schedule was set for each day. Serendipitous activities awaited us. We visited attractions we’d never heard of and visited parks we’d never passed. Meals took place in some of the greatest eateries along the way.
 
As we headed out of Portland north on Highway 30, we had no idea where we’d end up that night or what we’d see along the way. By lunchtime, we found ourselves at Mt. St. Helen’s and enjoyed a brief visit there as well as had a picnic lunch we’d brought along. The rest of the day we wandered along blue highways. The casual drive presented beautiful farms with old barns and outbuildings. Another bonus was the beauty of the world around us, the peace and quiet of rural Washington state.
 
By dusk, we started searching for a place to stay. A look at the map showed we were not far from Centralia, WA. Centralia is 90.8 miles and 1.5 hours from Portland. It is clear we didn’t make it very far that first day. Yet, our plan was to relax and enjoy this trip, not worry about a schedule.
 
Over the next 10 days or so, we spent our time the same way. We visited interesting towns and places we’d never thought about or heard of. Our travel took us as far north as the Northern Cascade Mountains where we saw snowfall during June.
 
Our memories of this trip are quite memorable. Their uniqueness makes them unforgettable. We have talked many times about how much we enjoyed this trip and how we’d like to do it again.
 
We haven’t yet, but there is always tomorrow. And there are plenty of blue highways we haven’t hit.
 
 
Featured Image Attribution:
Methow Valley, WA in Northern Cascades
Lidija Kamansky/Getty Images
Timing — July 24, 2019
all about time, timing, time, pocket watch, watch, rose

Timing

/Sherrey Meyer/2 Comments

It’s all about timing these days. Living in a fast-paced world as we do, calendars, watches, and schedules keep us on time, most of the time. 

 
Several things come to mind which depend on timing: 
  
  • Figure skating partners must keep time to the music and each other. 
 
  • Choirs match their voices in entrances and cutoffs so that they sound like one voice. 
 
  • Gardeners pay attention to the right time to plant seeds and then thin the new shoots. Never forgotten is the timing of watering those seeds.
 
This all leads to my lack of timing this week. Following my last physical therapy session, I counted the days needed to recover. Somehow preparing blog posts slipped off my radar into the ether losing my timing for posts for this week.
 
Monday night I told Bob I was finally feeling better from last Wednesday’s session. We laughed as we realized that Wednesday waited on the horizon.
 
Bob asked if I’d thought of canceling this appointment and taking a break. I slipped off with no answer and thought about his words. I could do that. No one would know why I canceled. But if I cancel an appointment, I’m one session farther away from the goal, whatever it is right now. And I don’t want to get behind.
 
As you read this, I may be in physical therapy working hard. Wish me well!
 

Feature Image by annca from Pixabay