A Day in the Life of...

      The alarm on my cell phone buzzes as it vibrates across the night stand. My feet hit the cold floor and my back arches and cracks as I stretch life back into my sore bones. Into the bathroom, wash my teeth and brush my face or vice versa, still half asleep...I hop into the clothes of the day and make my way into the kitchen. Clear the counters from last night's supper and feed the dishwasher and the dog...Good byes and have a good days and I'm out the door and on the road...

     Pit stop into the local convenience store for a jolt of caffeine and breakfast...my first real decision of the day, brown sugar and cinnamon or frosted strawberry poptarts. My brain and logic tell me to go with a Special K breakfast bar, but my gut says brown sugar and cinnamon. I take the back roads to town and wash it down with a diet coke as I prepare for the unknown of the day ahead...

     I walk into the office and get the info for the day...My office manager tells me where I need to go, who I need to call and where I need to be...all the while catching me up on last night's events, what was watched on TV or what was for dinner. The picture of efficiency. I go through the reports and logs, then open my email to a full inbox and once again find that I could be a millionaire if I'd help a Nigerian royal launder some money through my account...I really need a better spam filter as I press delete...

     The morning wears on and the phone rings, the first fire of the day is put out and crisis averted. Blood pressure rises...A couple more personnel issues, a budget question, then lunch...a quick check of the internet, choke down a bite to eat, blood pressure drops a tick or two...Afternoon meetings, decisions made, people happy, people unhappy, phone calls returned, hands shook...blood pressure up again...3pm and the afternoon is almost done, but my mind is far from work...

     The drive home is quick...I peel out of dockers and button ups and jump into wool and camo...15 minutes and I rush into my hunting grounds. I take a moment to slow down, catch my breath for the day. I make my hike across the field towards the tree line...I stand at the edge of the trees, brief, then step inside. Up the ladder and settle back into my seat and disappear. A heavy sigh and my shoulders roll forward...My heart rate slows as the sounds and smells and sights of the woods take over. I can feel the work day leaving as stress melts from my mind and body...seconds into my ritual, a twig snaps...full alert...my shoulder unconsciously tenses as the bowstring tightens. My  left hand grips the bow tight...I'm a million miles from the office, from mediating, from solving problems...I'm transported to another place and time...this is why I do this...This is where I need to be...