April 15, 2024
Three Pillars
The crew was back together, and we both slept better than we had in a few nights. My wife and I drank coffee on the couch, ready for the new day. I had to work, but she was off, trying to relax before her trip tomorrow morning to Durham for the week. After coffee, we trimmed Bodhi’s and Koda’s nails. Both dogs were in a cooperative mood, swayed by the tasty cat treats we had in the cupboard.
My wife moved to the back porch, sitting on the hammock, studying, while I took a shower and got ready for work. Monday was here. Before work began, I went outside to check on my wife. She received the scores from last week’s testing. She had excellent results that showed she was on track for her end-of-year testing and national certification exam. Great news.
It was cold this morning, but the temperature was supposed to get up to 88 degrees! It’s not your time, yet, summer. While we were outside, two fighter jets approached and then flew over our house at low altitude. One jet rotated on its axis, rolling left and then right. Fighter planes did not frequent the area, but today they were out practicing maneuvers. It was pretty damned cool.
My wife left for an appointment and was gone during my lunchtime. I gulped down some food, a bowl of instant ramen, and then grabbed my camera before heading into the woods. The day had warmed, but it felt cooler in the pine grove’s shade. An enormous hawk flew through the grove crying out, instantly reminding me why I loved being outdoors. The cool feeling didn’t last long, and soon, the heat felt like an early summer's day. Gnats were circling my head and while slapping them away, I walked through at least four spider webs that crossed the trail.
I came home earlier than expected and my wife arrived soon after. Her appointment went well, and we had an interesting talk about school and the stress this program brought. I was proud of her for keeping the ungodly pace and long hours of medical school. It was like having a full-time job and full-time school schedule on top of each other. While talking about stress, I relayed what I called the Three Pillars. These were three things that, when cared for, made every facet of life easier, and when ignored, made stress inevitable. The Three Pillars included Sleep, Nutrition, and Exercise. Focusing on all three made one a powerhouse, while messing up in even one area crumbled our energy like a house of cards.
After work, we went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel, and I finally tried their dinner menu, ordering the Southern Fried Chicken. There was enough chicken for two or three people, so I brought plenty home for the kids. Um, dogs. We had a great time, and I appreciated sitting down and having a meal with my wife before she had to leave for Durham. When we arrived home from the restaurant, the air felt much cooler at 81 degrees. I wanted to go into the woods for last light, but my wife opted to stay at the house and pack for her trip. On the way out the door, she handed me a package with five ears of corn that were overly ripened. I took them into the woods for the animals.
As soon as I entered the grove, the trails blew me away. A recent storm had left them full of twigs and small male pine cones that had dropped in the high winds. This afternoon, while I was working, my wife went into the woods armed with a rake and leaf blower. The trails were immaculately clean. When I exited the grove into the woodland, I heard something I had never heard at this time of day, in this part of the forest. It was an owl hooting repeatedly. I pulled out my phone and recorded the noise for my wife to hear while moving through the forest, trying to locate the owl. I never saw which trees housed it, but I caught glimpses of the raptor between the trees when it flew away into the woods.
When I arrived at a large rock we used as a landmark, I saw something special. My wife had found a large hawk feather and placed in neatly on the rock, pinning it down with a piece of wood. She knew I would find and appreciate it. I did. I snapped a few pictures and took a few steps before realizing my wife had cleared the trail from the rock, down toward the creek, and all the way over to Beaver Tooth Rock. It was hot today, and that was an ungodly amount of work. I blushed knowing she cleared the trails for me. She wanted me to move through the woods silently so I could catch photographs of wildlife, and she worked her ass off so I could enjoy the property while she was gone. I wondered how I found such a beautiful, intelligent, and hardworking partner. The trails never looked so nice.
When I arrived near Beaver Tooth Rock, I heard deer moving through the trees, but I never spotted them. Along the creek, I walked quietly, getting close enough to the bank to see four ducks flush. They were beautiful and their flapping wings, loud. I remembered this noise from before when approaching this area. Now, I knew it was the ducks I heard. Between walking the trails, looking for wildlife, and dodging spider webs, I was constantly fighting off mosquitoes. I was getting eaten alive near the creek, so I turned and headed back toward the house.
When I arrived home, my wife had just finished bathing, and I was ready to jump in the shower. She finished packing and was ready for her trip, and, as a couple, we were ready for the week despite disliking the physical distance apart. While my wife’s graduate program was hard, we had confirmed one thing over the past two years. Our love was rock solid.