'all my bags are packed; i'm ready to go....'

so it's been a good week here. a restful time away. i got a few things accomplished in the last few days, although not all of what i'd hoped. but at this point in my life, i take progress where i can get it. last night, i drove around richmond with my friend francie -- such reminiscence of high school days when things were a lot simpler and it was 'cool' to go tooling around in her big boat of a car and scope out all the places we could be hanging out but weren't because of either lack of funds, illegal habits or chronological age. but last night, it was much less in the realm of scoping and much more an opportunity to hang out and talk without having to sit inside the cramped starbucks with the 18-year olds who are seriously impressed by their new freedom.

every time i've driven around this week, the only song i seem to be able to listen to in the cd player is dar williams - 'after all'. apparently this has become my new anthem for the times....it wasn't even a conscious decision i made - more just something that crept up on me...kind of like the rest of my life, really.

if there's one thing i'm learning, it's the importance of being comfortable in one's own skin. so much of my life has been spent in being detached from myself, but now i'm seeking to reconnect...to get on board with what's actually going on...to feel everything....to drink from the cup regardless of what it holds. i want to dig into the soil beneath the surface....let grace get under my fingernails and work its way into the fibers of my clothes....to be satisfied with what i am given...to live life with hands open and eyes upward.

goodbye, virginia....thanks for being my 'home' for a week...i'm sure that our paths will cross again.

i'm out.