Vacation 2023

Hello and welcome.

The family vacation has past and it is now time to get back to the daily grind. The trip ended in success and I was able to set my current life struggles aside enough to enjoy some much needed time away. I must preface the following by admitting I am not a photographer. The pictures below were taken on my cell phone and do not completely depict the beauty of the Ouachita Mountains in Western Arkansas but it will give you a general idea. No rain threatened at any time during our week long stay. The mornings were hazy but as the day progressed, the clouds would dissipate, letting through a clear blue sky with little cloud cover.

The view from my deck.

The picture above was the view I would take in every day upon waking up. I would sit on the deck most mornings to simply breathe in fresh air and surround myself with the pristine beauty of the area. During these moments, I was able to sit quietly and meditate. There was very little noise. I found that aspect of the area most pleasing.

Thursday, we rented a pontoon and cruised Lake Balboa in The Village. From my understanding, Balboa is the largest man-made lake in the area. Again, blue skies, very few clouds and intense heat. It was pushing 100 degrees on this day.

The golf courses in the community are spectacular. I played four courses throughout the week and not one hole laid flat. The picture above does not tell you the entire story. You would need to see it with your own eyes. My daughter, who is not a golfer, enjoyed the views. She rode along with us on two occasions. She has a keen eye and takes beautiful pictures. A talented photographer in her own right, she enjoyed snapping action shots of us all while taking our swings.

Friday, our last day before the long trip home, we visited Hot Springs. We stayed in The Village most nights but decided to take a ride thirty minutes south to town. The mural above caught my eye. It was the last picture I would take on the trip.

I have settled back into normal mode already. I miss the area and hope to visit again. Every one of us has a place that feels right when we are there. This little bit in Arkansas is mine. But like most good things, it came to an end, at least for now.

I hope that this finds you well. I know it is not much but I wanted to at least share a couple things.

Take care y'all!

Ellipse

 "Clouds with ellipses, they come and go and come and go and fade away."

This simple verse has been stuck in my crawl for a couple of weeks. So much so that I decided to use it as the introduction to this post. I enjoy listening to music, especially the words. I like deciphering what the song means to me personally. The story being told will likely mean something completely different for each of us and that is the beauty of a well crafted composition. Do you enjoy the rhythm or do you find yourself dissecting the meaning behind the words? Both are important and I enjoy a thumping kick drum just as much as anyone else but the lyrical content is what grabs my attention the most.

During the past two month's, my penchant for negative obsessive thinking has been non existent. It is such a great feeling to be free from unnecessary worrying and the gut wrenching anxiety that followed, things that I previously experienced on a daily basis.  

I have mentioned in previous posts that I look forward to the quiet time in between when I lay down for the night and eventually falling asleep. It's a time where I can decompress. I can think freely and no one is there to pass judgement. It is a simple, non biased relationship. Nate and his thoughts. (I didn't mean to go third person on you but...) The anger I experienced a couple of months ago is all but gone. Currently, I am on a journey of healing and forgiveness. It has not been easy and on occasion, I regress a touch but it's a "three steps forward and an occasional step back" type of process.

I am growing beyond the mess that is currently circling me and it feels pretty good. Faith, family, music and writing have been the cure. I simply do not want to waste another minute of the life I was given on things that I cannot control. My main objective now is to be one hundred percent involved in my daughters life, all while giving her space. This is a tricky thing to do. I want to be around her every waking second of the day but she is a teenager and will be getting her drivers license in the near future. A whole world of possibilities will open up for her and I need to let go of all the worry that comes along with that. She is a well adjusted young lady but the dad in me will always want to protect.

I have began writing the prologue for the short story I have mentioned previously. Here and there, I will share bits and pieces for guidance. During the past week, I have been brain storming for ideas while wondering the following: How will this story be received? Will it be interesting enough? Will it be worded correctly? Is it even worth pursuing? Can I actually see it through? The answers differ from day to day and I doubt a great many things but I also do not want to quit on the journey. I have no intentions of making any money on this. I simply want to see if I can complete the task. It would be an added bonus if a couple of people would take the time to read it and, dare I dream, enjoy it.

Some of my inspiration comes in the form of dreams and some by simply watching and listening to the human condition. Observing others and their actions is something I can't help but notice. I am trying to inject my thoughts, beliefs, dreams and feelings in to the story while making it as fictional as possible. I don't want to put too much of myself within the pages but at every turn, it feels like it is following my imagined timeline of things to come. I suppose I'll just keep writing and see where it goes.

I will be traveling west for a much needed vacation so finding time to write over the next week will be difficult. I am going to make an attempt to sandwich some blog time in between golf, enjoying some craft beer and checking out local attractions. My family and I are headed to Hot Springs, AR. We frequent the area and enjoy the southern hospitality. The rat race north is tiresome. The yearly reset is always welcome.

I will leave you with a musical piece performed by Ben Folds. Mr. Folds is a personal favorite of mine and the video below contains the chorus that began this post. He is an unbelievable storyteller. 

I do hope you enjoy. 

Be well friends.

Insecure Writer's Support Group - July 5, 2023

 

I wanted to begin by extending a thank you to Alex and all of the co-hosts for supporting us all. I appreciate the words of encouragement from each of you that have taken the time to stop in and join me in this journey. I have learned a great many things by simply reading posts from some of you that are a part of this group. I have not made all of the rounds yet but plan to as soon as time permits.

It has been a minute since I have posted and for that, I apologize. Life has been busy. So many things going on and what seems to be so little time. I'll be traveling this weekend but wanted to at least partake in the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop before I ventured out.

I'll fill you all in with the happenings lately but it will have to wait for a few more days.

July 5th question - 99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours come from?

Most of the Habitual Hobbit is centered around life. I like to share my trials, as it is therapeutic for me to do so. My hope is that someone will read this and see that life, even through the struggle, can be beautiful. I have not seen much beauty lately but I know it is only a matter of time before things start looking up. I have decided that quite simply, I cannot do this life alone. It takes a village. My family has been such a blessing. They are always whispering in my ear. Reassuring me that I have so much to look forward to and, it is starting to soak in.

I am starting from scratch again. I am finding my way back into a relationship with God. I have rekindled my love for the truth that can be found by studying The Gospels. All else is temporary.

As far as my story idea? That came to me in a dream. I remember it vividly. A couple of hours of rest supplied me with so many ideas. I simply could not keep up with my own thoughts. On occasion, I remember something that I believed was long forgotten and I quickly jot it down in an attempt to go back to it at some point, where it will hopefully fit into the story. If, that is, I can get it off of the ground!

I hope this finds you well. Thanks for stopping in.

Shalom