Speaking

I am terrified of public speaking. Small groups or individuals are totally OK, but when it is a room full of people, it gives me panic attacks and anxiety. In meeting today, I spoke for the first time; from the Spirit and from the Heart. I was completely taken by surprise... hashing over a thought in my mind relating to what someone else had said a few weeks ago in meeting and how it related to what someone had said today. My mind was still sitting down and thinking while my body stood up and spoke, seemingly involuntarily. Despite my heart pounding out of my chest and most of my brain racing around trying to figure out what the heck was happening, my words were clear and concise. A couple of people thanked me after the rise of meeting and told me that I spoke directly to their condition. It was a slightly unnerving, yet it felt right. For those who are unfamiliar with various religious phenomena, it is a sensation not unlike speaking in tongues, except maybe it just comes out in one's native language. I am probably over-analyzing. I have a way of attempting to dissect and understand everything that happens in my life and I need to learn to just put certain things away and wait for new perspective. Regardless, I think I am gaining a more intimate understanding of how this works.

Falling Madly In Love

And I've decided that the object of my affection happens to be a she in this case. Don't be too surprised by this fact, but do check out her amenities (which can be viewed here and here.)

She is totally my style: petite, into all the same things that I'm into... existing deep in the woods, living off the land, off the grid lifestyle, probably likes dogs & cats, and wouldn't mind having a large garden some day.

I'm checking out financing/mortgage options tomorrow ;-). Wish me luck!

Long Pond

Oh my word, I am very sore, my legs and arms still feel like they are on fire. On Friday a couple of my coworker friends and I went up to Long Pond in Lempster, NH for an afternoon picnic. The town beach there is posted for use by town residents only and they enforce this rule rigidly. However the boat landing uses state tax dollars so they can't legally eject out-of-towners if they are hanging around or entering the water at the boat landing. Additionally, the island in the middle of the pond is state property and available for use by anyone who wants to make the swim/boat trip over. Well, I don't have a boat yet. So I towed the cooler and the rest of our picnic supplies over on an inflatable lounger raft. It's about a 1/4 mile swim. We had a great time hanging around and being lazy in the sun, but we waited a bit too long to make the trip back. By the time we went back in the water the sun was setting and it had become a bit chilly out. I ended up towing J on a boogie board in addition to the raft because he has a bit less 'insulation' than I do and was too cold to let his top half into the water. I definitely got my exercise that day. I intend to go up there again to hike around and take pictures during foliage season.

G and J