I love it out here in the Tennessee backwoods. The more time I spend out here, the more curious facts I learn about the state. For example, I did not know that Vanderbilt University was in state. In Nashville in fact. So much ballyhoo is raised about U of Tennessee that it is easy to forget that there are other schools in the state. It’s like “The” Ohio State University, when there are several other academic icons in the state.. Oberlin, Bowling Green… Ohio State gets all the love. Tennessee gets all the love. That of course traces back to sports. Football, mainly. I never stop being surprised at how much money that sport generates on every level.
Here in the woods the only sport I’ve been watching is pig races. Which pig gets to the new feed first? There’s also the squirrel fights. Once they see that nut all bets are off. Things are slower here and that gives me more time to focus on what I care about–spending time with people I love, and writing. The big two. I’ve yet to fall into the second one, but I realize that it needs to happen today and onward. Once I get back to the desert the distractions will flood in.
Maybe that is the most important take away. I rarely sit in my office and lock in anymore. There isn’t silence outside, so I seek distraction inside. That always results in a slower and less productive version of myself. I spent 7 hours working Monday and produced a dribble of schoolwork. How many of those hours were spent chasing some youtube rabbit hole?
I aim to make the best of my time here. It might be smart to start scheduling more time here. The Lady Talislegger loves the place and it gives us more time to spend with pop. On my end, I write more and feel better and more centered as a human. These things are tougher in the desert.