When I used to work in Bentonville it meant a long drive to and from work every day. Most people probably don’t savor the commute, but I did.
On the way out, the thirty minutes of dirt road gave me time to adjust my mindset to adapt to a technical world in the small city. At the end of the day, the slow drive in gave me time to unwind. Each day the trees and hills welcomed me home, and back to my life in the midst of nature.
It’s no different now, though I only drive out twice or maybe three times a week. I’m not going to a city-metro area, but to a small rural city nowadays. I savor my walkabouts here at home just as much, but going away from home allows me to see sights I might not see otherwise.
The Kinds of Sights I See
On my way home from work on Friday evening, I had to drive behind a tractor for a while. Farms line the road, most of the roads I travel around here. So, coming up on a tractor isn’t unusual.
Along the highways closer to home, it’s not unusual to slow down for side-by-sides and sometimes 4-wheelers.
As I drove into Berryville for my day at the office, it was overcast with a high fog, and frosty with a gloomy light. I loved it and took the time to savor the commute.
Those types of days yield wonderful photo opportunities if I take the time to take them. But that means I have to leave home a bit earlier than usual, so that I do have time to stop along the way.
This was a morning where I had done just that. Most of my stops are along our dirt road because it’s easy and I don’t have to worry about traffic.
When I’m on the highways, I still see many sights I wished I had been able to stop for. But those opportunities are fleeting, and so I savor them without sharing. Except I can now, with words. Here’s a scene I saw that gloomy morning and I did indeed allow the moment to fill me.
Setting the Scene
An eagle flew low with lazy flaps and turned up wingtips. White head and tail gleamed against the grey foggy sky. Three crows flew along almost the same trajectory, and at first I thought they were harassing the eagle, but it wasn’t so.
Their paths had simply crossed. The trio continued westward while the eagle continued on its southwestern bearing. Sights like this make it easy to savor the commute.
Not more than a mile farther, I saw a barren tree with twisty limbs and at least three juvenile eagles resting upon them.
Kestrels dot the power lines along that highway, and I always enjoy seeing them but wish I could get closer meetings. At least the eagles sometimes come low enough so that I can even see an eye.
On the way home, at a certain point where Kings River snakes beside our dirt road, I stopped to listen to the spot where water churned over rocks. You can’t hear the baritone gulps in my video but they added interesting notes to the song that caught my ear as I passed.
Savor the Commute – Talk to the Land
I often drive that dirt road with my windows down, specifically to hear the sounds. But also because I often talk to the trees and the land as I travel through it. Sounds crazy, I know. But I do think they hear me.
Lately, I’ve been telling them that I am STILL working on the shed painting that features their colors. My artwork is a partnership with the land, so I like to keep them updated on things, lol.
P.S. The inspiration for today’s post
Janet Webb, a friend of mine posted recently on her blog about her Word of the Year- Savor. Check out her post:
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