Hammock Time

Thirty days have passed since my last day of work. I have traveled. I have visited with friends around a fire pit eating hot dogs and marshmallows. I have increased my exercise and have enjoyed nature more and more. When I was a teen, my feet were always on the move. My focus was always the Bear River that cuts through the town of Petoskey and into the Little Traverse Bay.

Now that I am working for myself, I have to find a balance between work, home and pleasure. Seeing that my home is also the location of my business, I was amazed at how happy I was to stay home. Even though binge watching T.V. would have been nice, I couldn’t sit still. Time to budget the checkbook? Nope, get up and sort out the toy box. Time to do some research? ‘Oh that basket of laundry needs to be done.’ One thing leads to another and minimal work was being completed. This behavior is not going to get my business up and running.

After I packed on five pounds from all the s’mores, I knew I had to get moving and get out of the house. If I was going to be a slug, I might as well go and slug by the river. [lowering eyes in confession.] I drove myself to the water front and just sat numbly in the car instead of getting my butt moving and walking a path through the woods. Why couldn’t I get myself moving? I love being outside. This made no sense to me. Yet, I just sat looking over the water and nothing was getting done.

Okay, my daughter knows me better than I knew myself. On my birthday, I received a gift from her. My hammock and everything I would need to go and relax somewhere. Okay, this was an excellent gift. Now I can drive myself to the water front where the hammock hookup is and lay around there. In the morning hours, I laid and listened to the birds chattering in the trees. Squirrels run limb from limb chasing each other. I loved watching the dew on the leaves glisten in the morning sun. Such a fresh start to a day, still, no work was being completed but I taught myself how to rest a bit more. That was the purpose of the hammock. I think it was the best gift ever.

The love of hammock time has taken hold. One day, the sun bore down hot on the hammock grounds. After some experiments with some linen shower curtains, ropes and clips I made myself a tent to drape over my hammock. The tent provided shade but the heat was still unbearable by noon or too hot until 7 or later. I was determined to make it work but being in the shade would have been better. One day, as I was laying in my little tent, I heard a little girl ask her father, “Are they homeless?” I was never so thankful that her father said, “No, honey. They do that for fun!” Fun, relaxation, perhaps a few are homeless, but I had forgotten that hammock time should be fun too.

I had loaned my car to my son for a trip and rescued my hammock things from the back of the trunk. I once again was stuck at home. The walls began to cave in and I was not interested in watching T. V. and I wanted to get out of the house. The hammock begged for a visit and I couldn’t resist its call. After my five pounds shifted to eleven, I couldn’t ignore exercise any longer. I groaned and began to resurrect my active gear. Even if the car was here, I would have to ignore it and set one foot infront of the other, for my well-being.

When I purchase my own home I will have a wall dedicated to my backpack collection. The green one contains the items I would need for spiritual work. Camera backpack is teal. Bat observation backpack is hunter green. Mesh backpack is for the beach. Hammock’s home is now the purple back pack. I can just see this wall near the back door where they would wait for our next adventure. I had developed an escape plan and began to scurry to find my purple back pack. It was time to break out of the house and get moving.

I was an avid camper and hiker years ago and my travel gear just laid in wait in the cabinet. Thermos, filled with cold water. Meal container is now filled with breakfast or lunch. A book to read, and a new addition, an I-Pad with a keyboard. Phone has a hotspot if I need it to do business on the go. Plastic bags for picking up garbage the tourist are leaving on the trails are tucked in the outside pocket. I even have a harvesting knife just in case I see something ready to harvest. With a satisfied assessment of my equipment, I threw the bag over my shoulders and trucked down the road.

Two weeks of walking the trails between my home and the water front has been such a good thing until, I hung my hammock in the shade trees of Petoskey Parks property. I love the post they provide next to the river. In the morning or later in the evening the temperatures are workable. The sun bares down on the spots and they are unusable in mid-day. The morning was warm and by the time I hit the river trail, I knew I would be dead tired by the time I would get to the mouth of the river. I found a little side trail and began to look for a few trees to hang from. I hung my hammock in the tree in a place off the beat and path in the shade. Who knew I would become a violator.

Two kind officers walked a good distance to get to the spot where I sat. They were kind guys and they were only doing their job. I was informed that hammock are not allowed to be strung to public property. I get that I might damage trees with the straps. The guys agreed that the sun was too hot down at the waterfront. So I said, "Okay, then they need to put some hammock stands in the shade." They agreed and I packed up with a pout and strolled down the path.

I see people who love the full sun light but I am not one of them. I look for shade almost instantly. As I grumbled and walked home, I processed the interaction between the men and I. Hammocks and shade go hand in hand. Seriously, The one in shade is miles away. Sure, provide for the tourist and forget us locals. [stomp walking] How far do I take this? [shaking fist in the air] Do I approach Petoskey Parks to fix this issue? [Toss a bit of tobacco on the ground and ask for forgiveness for my attitude.] Seriously, if you have ordinance, then provide solutions. Their solution? [grumbles, 'three miles'] Yes, they can expect a letter. [Brow creases] I must fight for my well-being and full sunlight is not it.

For now, I will traverse the trail to hook up to the stands in the cooler times of the day. That wasn't working in the past for working hours though. Humph, and threw my backpack on the floor and flopped down on the couch. I guess I have the next two weeks to make another adjustment.

Addiction to hammock time will draw change in my world. Self-care was so wonderful the way I was making it. I was resting during the down times. A text would chime, I would log on and have a meeting amongst the trees. A flash of inspiration and I could pull out my tablet and write down my thoughts as the river trickled in my ears. A hot meal, a cool sip of water, a good book while I kicked my feet up was true bliss. I don’t want to change what I have built because it has been so beautiful. What a healthy thing to be addicted to.

The purple backpack has the number one spot on the hook and will be there for the next 30 days. Soon, the fall months will set in and the hammock will rest for the winter. I hope the Petoskey Parks will hear my cry and fix this issue so I can enjoy my bliss for a few more months. In Northern Michigan, the summer is so short so I hope they give a local person some happiness. Hammock, Purple backpack and me would give them a big hug.