Sitting, Talking and Laughing

Quote of the day:
“We’re so rushed a lot of the time, and I think we all kind of know that, but to see people actually slow down, sit and talk and laugh.... Good things can come from slowing down sometimes.”
--Albin Ulle

The firsts keep on coming. The first for today was Merrie driving herself to the doctor for some blood tests.

One of the most gratifying things over these last few weeks has been seeing Merrie get lots and lots of sleep. She’s typically driving herself pretty hard, and often has been sleep-deprived for long stretches of time. It’s a simple and obvious thing, but lots of sleep is amazingly healing and restorative.

It is very satisfying to work hard and long to accomplish something important. There are also great rewards for being highly active while traveling or otherwise “playing hard.” We know these things from a very early age.

What takes much longer to learn in our culture is the sustaining joy described in Albin Ulle’s statement above. Ulle and his wife were featured this week on a Travel channel special called 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.

Just like most of us, the Ulles travelled thousands of miles before gaining this perspective.