Time To Sit

I confess, I'm falling behind on these thankfulness posts.  And the reason I'm falling behind is that the last several days have been challenging.  I either a) had no internet to post my thankfulness, or b) was in a mood this is the opposite of thankful, or c) in the deer stand.

So, now that I have internet and am in a better mood and am not currently in the deer stand, here is something I'm thankful for:

Time to sit in the woods, staring at trees, and watching for deer.  (You had to know I was going to work deer hunting into this month's posts somehow, right?)

Friday was Opening Day, and, as I have for the past handful of years, I took it off of work.  Even turned down a subbing job at the middle school.  Because I can.  I don't need that 3-7 hours of pay enough to miss out on spending a day deer hunting.

And for that, I am thankful.  There have been many times in my life when it didn't matter that it was Opening Day, we needed ever penny that I could earn in order to make sure the bills got paid.  (DH has, for the last 15 years, used one of his paid vacation days for Opening Day).  There have also been many years when I couldn't hunt because my kids needed a ride to school and back; making it pretty impossible, during the years that I had kids in the Lutheran Elementary School, for me to be in the woods early in the morning and middle of the afternoon.

Time spent sitting in the woods, waiting for deer to amble by, is not time wasted.  It is time that I spend relaxing, as well as observing nature.  I've learned to identify trees by bark rather than leaves, while sitting waiting for deer.  I've learned flight patterns of many different types of birds, as well as their songs, while sitting waiting for deer.  I've seen fox, and coyotes, and turkey while sitting and waiting for deer.

I've also written many Christmas newsletters during deer season, on a pocket sized notebook, while sitting and waiting for deer.  Figured out two weeks worth of menus while sitting and waiting for deer.  Read many books (including Anna Karenina!!) while sitting and waiting for deer.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend time sitting, waiting for deer.