This morning I was up before dawn (which isn’t so early these days) driving up to Big Lake to make a dog food pick up. People always ask about feeding the dogs, how much you buy, how much does it cost…… I quit keeping track of how much my sled dog activities cost after the first year. I started to add up the numbers and decided I didn’t want to know. It isn’t outrageous, we could afford it and it was a distraction to the recreation and enjoyment to keep looking at the numbers. It was an expense that had many benefits to physical and spiritual health. So without dwelling on the cost, here is the supply I picked up this morning. It is about 500 pounds and will last a few months, maybe longer now that summer is here and the dogs eat less in the off season.

You will also notice I took the dog box off the back of the truck officially ending the race season. It’s with mixed emotions that I end the season, but a beautiful spring day in the 40′s is cause for happily moving on to spring and summer activities.

The drive up and back, about an hour each way, also gave me some “quiet time” to think and reflect. I’ve been retired and working on the ministry project for over a year now and things don’t seem any slower. However I had lunch with a couple of my former peers yesterday and one said I seemed much more relaxed, so I guess I’m settling in a little.

As I drove, I first listened to the news on the radio, then moved to music from my ipod (not with headphones, but plugged into the truck stereo, a fancy new option) which keeps my mind from racing. When I got home I did a little reading and reflecting. I pulled out a book given to me by a friend several years ago. Let Your Life Speak is a great little book by Parker J Palmer.

Here is a passage that I had underlined several years ago that really fit with this morning’s quiet time (from page 7-8):

The soul is like a wild animal-tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.

Quiet time…good for the soul.

Take Care