I rose closer to 8 than 7 and had lunch with Scott W and Brad J, but there was no rush. I made coffee and opened a packet of tuna fish kept cold in the fridge, with some slices of cheese for breakfast. I wanted more protein and fewer carbs. I ate this while I wrote and did my usual morning tasks: checking in with Quicken, reading (mostly deleting) email, and reading the news (The President has been making extreme statements to fill the news coverage; I do wonder what he is trying to cover up this time). Nothing holds my attention for long.
I invested most of the morning in writing the blog. I also started to pack a small bag for my Seattle trip on Friday, returning on Saturday. This is mostly to avoid forgetting something important. I leave the duplicate cables, toothbrushes, and so on in my travel bag. This usually prevents me from missing anything. I buy a new travel-sized tube of toothpaste for each trip; often, I have a spare.
I managed to finish the blog before I needed to start rushing. I showered and all of that, then headed to Cedar Hills McMenamans in Air VW the Gray, now a purchased car with a bank loan, and was soon the last to join, with Brad and Scott running early. We had a table outside, as it was another July-in-October day.
It has been some time since all three of us were together. Scott W and Brad J had done an ad hoc hike the day before; they had talked about connecting for a hike the last time we were together. We talked about Deborah and me and our planned or recent travels. Scott W updated us on some more changes at Nike. We were all well, and we talked about good health news for some others. All great.
I then stopped at Walgreens to get some travel supplies and a few items for the house. I then returned home, took a very long nap, rose, folded the laundry, did the dishes, and watched the newest Slow Horses episode while I did all these tasks.
I finished packing my bag for Friday’s Seattle visit. I reboarded Air VW the Gray and headed back to Cedar Hills McMenamans, getting there at 6:30 to find Jack and Dondrea already there. I seemed to be running a bit slow all day. Dondrea also had them move us to a room, though a group was doing karaoke nearby. We all even sang along to one of the songs. It did not bother us.
We talked about people working themselves to death and trying to find peace or a place of refuge. We asked whether the church, besides all it does, needs to provide peace or refuge from the noise of our social media-drowning world. One answer was that the food pantry and the work we do are a source of peace for the workers. While it would be nice to have peaceful walks or moments, much of Methodist peace is serving food, providing it for those who need it, and being here at the Heart of Beaverton as a place of help. An answer I did not expect, though I might still schedule a “walk with the trees” at the nearby arboretum.
I had two Old Fashioneds, a calzone, and plain coffee. I was safe to drive and relaxed. Just meeting and thinking about how to help brought me peace.
Peace to you, dear reader.
I then drove home, read, and then nodded off. I set my alarm for too early to catch my 6:45 Train on Friday.
Thanks for reading,
