I love to rise early, set the coffee, complete a couple of chores, all before seven. I love to have a steamy cup of strong coffee with half and half to sit and watch the lights turn up. Darkness is extinguished by the seeping in of light traveling from the east. On the coast, all of my windows face West. There is a hill to the East that blocks my view. On the High Desert – the windows faced East and you could watch the ribbons of yellow, orange, red, race across the sky as the earth tilts forward, eager to start the day.  I have not seen that here, only the dim switch being turned up and up.  The Lake is calm. The Fog is high. A promise of a new fresh day, with the added expectancy of rain or more weather coming in.

This morning’s thought was of increase. I see quite a few of my friends in their path toward their fifties increasing year by year. IN business and personal financial accumulation.  The pile of toys and goodies, planes, house boats,  equipment, lavish homes, fine furniture – stirs , honestly, a dual swirl of thought in my mind. I admit to the – why wasn’t it easy to move forward for us thought. Why didn’t my hard working husband who never missed a day of work these last 25 years not grow in his financial wealth? It seems that every few years our slate gets wiped clean and we find ourselves starting over. Starting Clean and Fresh with New Adventures.

I was raised in my formative years by my homesteading grandparents. I have never had a thought in my head embracing a five or ten year plan of increase. Except in Gardening and Firewood. Prepare the soil. Prepare the wood shed. Prepare and plan and be ready for what comes. Plant in season, burn wood in the cold.

So I admit to my selfish thoughts this morning, but then look at the lake as the fog lifts and the darkness is overshadowed. Calm. Still. One can see individual leaves in the reflection. And yet, last evening,  a conversation could not be heard on the deck over the roar of the wind and the splashing of the waves. 

The fish eat the vegetation. The water filters itself through the D River to the sea. The people tend to debris. We live off the fish. If the lake were to increase every year in water, fish, vegetation and debris it would become unhealthy. Un living. and all would die. Choked Out. Humans needed to replant quick fresh growth, or time and the Lord to introduce healing.  Even the snow on the Mountains has a purging time each year in August, ready again for fresh increase of snow in October.

So have we, this month, sold most of what we own, purged down to a 17 foot trailer u haul, sold our favorite vehicle, made 6 trips to the dump so far, one more planned tomorrow, many more things to still be rid of. And financially, we start just as fresh as Brokentop in September.

And yet, each year it really isn’t a do-over. It is like the soil. We till it, enrich it, help it to keep the nutrients. Each year the growing season is easier and becomes more effortless. The seeds grow and adjust to the climate, the perennials are nourished. And the restart of spring is less harsh.

The fog is lifted, the lights are on, the electric lights are clicking off around my visual boundaries of East Devils Lake. I think a nice sweater and a refil of coffee is in order. 🙂