Ten.Two Thousand, Three Hundred & Fifty-One

1. Just one log.

2. A Tuesday that feels like a Wednesday.

3. To be called disingenuous.

4. Both. And. Compassionate but with boundaries.

5. Not enough time to sit and doodle and think. But in two more days.

6. I should have taken a walk today.

7. Change is change, and in this moment, it’s too early to know whether it’s good or bad.

8. Cold legs.

9. Tomato soup and grilled cheese.

10. Second-to-last slice of pecan pie. A few minutes of a baking show. A quick write-up for the paper. Trying to hold the vision.

Ten.Two Thousand, Three Hundred & Fifty

1. I will regret this lifting later today.

2. Only enough time for one log on the fire.

3. One more cup of decaf.

4. I remember that I can just take a walk. Perfect in the sun but a little chilly in the shade. I kick up the yellow and brown leaves as I walk past workers sitting beside their trucks.

5. Stop eating salad while standing up.

6. Have fun. At the end of the day, there has to be a little bit of fun.

7. So close. So close. Is there such a thing as a good loss? Yes.

8. Can never eat dinner after a game no matter how hungry I am.

9. I run my shoulder into the doorframe and feel those lifts that I knew I would regret.

10. Pie?

Ten.Two Thousand, Three Hundred & Forty-Nine

1. Almost slept too long.

2. Tender sides and quads and back.

3. Not sure how anyone could be pumped up with this kind of music playing.

4. Sun out. I lean back in my seat and close my eyes while eating the rest of the warm morning bun.

5. But are we all on the same page here?

6. Finally got my fire.

7. Craving another slice of pecan pie.

8. Mother Nature. Patience. Cleansing.

9. One of my favorite hours of the week.

10. “The way to maintain one's connection to the wild is to ask yourself what it is that you want. This is the sorting of the seed from the dirt. One of the most important discriminations we can make in this matter is the difference between things that beckon to us and things that call from our souls.” - Women Who Rung With the Wolves

Ten.Two Thousand, Three Hundred & Forty-Eight

1. The downside of the heat being on is that the morning workouts are much sweatier.

2. Coming around the curve, I see a layer of frost on everything.

3. One by one.

4. He’s right. Don’t say anything today; save it for another time. Now is not the time to squeeze.

5. Second shower of the morning. A meditation.

6. I had forgotten that she was sending me something. The note says something about a creature. I tell my husband that I hope it isn’t something that was at some time alive. Inside the paper is a metal snail. A snail. A snail! The most perfect tiny talisman at the the perfect time.

7. Feeling like focaccia.

8. He’s right. I wouldn’t quit.

9. I already know that I need one more day.

10. “Now is not the time to lose faith.”

Ten.Two Thousand, Three Hundred & Forty-Seven

1. Waiting for sunrise.

2. Patiently, not-so-patiently waiting to get a Christmas tree.

3. Still without my morning fire.

4. Noble Fir, only. 8-9 feet. None of those are here, of course.

5. Hard not to when you’re right there.

6. A large tree tied precariously to the roof of the car. You can hear the strain on the green twine. Visions of it spearing the car behind us on the trail.

7. Only color lights.

8. Finally, my fire.

9. The days feel like they are going by too quickly.

10. When the resistance is this strong, something must change.