dec 11 wintry images

This morning is supposed to be about catching up on photos -- printing those of my little nephews that my step-mom has sent; printing photos of other family members and friends from the past year; downloading photos from the last 2 weeks from 2 cameras; editing photos from the Divas trip to Eklutna in September; and editing everything since then. But I've run out of photo paper about halfway through and the number of photos to be edited is a little daunting.

It's the season for not only cleaning up the physical and digital space but also to sweep through the mental space to see what needs to stay, what needs to go, what needs to change. And I can't decide if my resolution for the new year should be to take a photo a day, keep up on the blog better (think I've tried that one before), lay the blog down, or just not get too hung up on any of it.

I'm going to contemplate all of that while tromping about this snowy world on snowshoes later today. In the meantime, I'll post a few photos from this month and feel a little satisfaction in getting a few photos printed, a few edited, and a few posted.

A spectacular sunset just after a snowfall between wind storms a couple of weeks ago

Snow biking on my birthday last week. Thanks to my friend Rose for loaning me her mukluk while her shoulder heals. A Happy Birthday indeed!

An early afternoon ski with Paul on Christmas Day in Talkeetna

3 dec 11 singletrack mindfulness

Around lunch time on Saturday a friend called with some bad news that affected his family. Someone we knew had made an impulsive decision that was meant to be helpful to a member of his family without thinking about legal ramifications and long-term consequences.

Paul and I had planned to go for a bike ride, and we hit the singletrack about the time I was struggling with my attempts to not judge a couple of the people involved in the situation. There's nothing like pedaling down a snowy trench to keep me focused on the present moment. If I want to stay upright on the trail, my mind has to be tuning into my body and the feel of the bike. If my brain is whirring on problems far from the trail, I'm going to be dabbing or drifting into the soft snow. Riding singletrack, especially in the winter, is an excellent practice in mindfulness.

Going with the flow on a mukluk holiday. Thanks, Rose!