An engine for being more present

Illustration by D. B. Johnson from ‘Henry Hikes to Fitchburg,’ 

from journal 9/30/2014.  I'm 44 at the time.  I am in the throes of the end of the early part of adulthood, or early mid-life re-evaluate.  I want to ACCOMPLISH things.  But then I move to more interior things -- repair, be happy with less.  Then, it gets big again!  Then small again -- changing my own "lenses."

Thinking: I'd like to write a book! But not a novel... that's huge effort for a piece of entertainment. Then a book like The Wild Places.. but that's more skill than I have (of journalism, of history) and, again, once it's written, what are the rewards? How about a song every 9 days until the end of the year? What about poems? What about a new job? Move to a new state?

What about just working to get rid of plantar fasciitis?

What about living more Thoreau-like?

What about writing another education article? Doing more presentations? But I'm not ready to go "all in" as an education guru.

What about changing my "glasses" and look more optimistically and being more present?

My reflection on that day ends with:

I feel that 'noticing" things, 10x per day? could be the engine of something.  (Take a picture/day) If I started today, I'd have 1000 by the end of the year.  Putting words to things.  being present.