The past few days I’ve felt mentally ‘meh’. The days have gotten shorter, and true to form for 2020, we ended up with one of the earliest snowstorms and cold snaps that I can recall. I was around for the legendary Halloween blizzard of 1991, and was even driving home from my job at the mall during it. It earned its reputation, but that was the last time I remember anything more than a few flakes this early in October.

It also feels like life is returning to more of a day-to-day struggle with the pandemic. As it gets colder we’re all inside a lot more. One of the things I miss tremendously is going over to Silverwood Cafe and working from there, looking out over the lake. Setting up my outdoor garage office was huge this year, and I wish I had done it earlier in the summer. Just having that change of scenery helps a ton.

The election next week is also another sense of stress and anxiety. I’m hopeful that we’ll make the right choice going in to the future, but I’m also steeling myself for the possibility that we simply aren’t the bastion of freedom that we think we are, and will descend into just another dictatorial regime in the annals of history. I’m trying to keep a broad perspective on things, and realize that even my life is just a blip in the history of creation.

Needless to say, this is all a lot of heavy stuff, and it weighs the body down. I think the next few months will require a lot of intention to find joyful moments. I’ve already started collecting a few video games to work on over the winter. I’ve also been passing along a lot of my photography experience to my son, and am enjoying sharing that with him. Planning for races is up and running, and I’m hopeful that a vaccine distribution in early 2021 will get that aspect back to normal. Maybe I’ll also toss in another office re-organization, since it looks like remote working will be the new normal.

Perhaps 2021 will bring on a new creative challenge as well. It’s been a few years since I’ve committed to a daily creation regimen and perhaps that needs to return. Maybe a mix of different format as well that include more than just the blog. Toss in a bit more photography, or even some video or audio work that I’ve been enjoying. It’s probably time to start trying to breath with those muscles again.

I hope that all are safe and well, and I know that soon we’ll get through this, one way or another.