How did it get to be October? That's weird to me. I always thought time wasn't supposed to fly by too quickly until one was "old." And for real, I'm way too young to be old. Frankly, I just need to keep better track of my time. Sometimes it seems like I don't have quite the grip on my life that I'd like to have. For instance, there are certain hobbies I enjoy, such as playing my flute and writing letters to penpals, that I simply don't do often enough. Reading is another one. Writing fiction would be nice, too. It's been forever since I've done that. And there are times I tell myself I'm going to keep up with those things, I'm going to start doing Yoga again, or learn martial arts, or do any number of things I feel like I would like to do. And then all of a sudden, it's October, a year has gone by since I last wrote to my penpals, I'm out of shape, and I feel like a total slacker.

What is it that keeps us from doing the things we love to do, like to do, or simply know we have to do? How do such unimportant "life things" get in the way of what's really important?

Is it such a long process to get back in the swing of things? Maybe it's not. Maybe I'm making life feel harder than it is. Maybe the "there aren't enough hours in the day" mentality is not helping me. Maybe there are enough hours in the day, and I just need to devote them to things that make me tingle inside, make me feel alive. Maybe I just need to pay more attention to things as they are happening. Live in the here and now. And not worry too much about the past, or too much about the future (the latter is the one I find challenging).

Here and now? I'm sitting in my living room on my computer chair. I'm sitting right at the front edge, and my ass is nearly asleep. The reason I don't scoot back is there's a very cute orange kitty behind me. My other cat is on top of my monitor. The balcony door is open (the screen door is shut), and a very cool autumnal wind is blowing in, rattling the vertical blinds -- a sound much more soothing and subtle than any set of wind chimes I've heard lately. My feet are cold and I'm wearing a sweatshirt, but I won't close the window.

I like it this way.