Prairie Schooner

We're told time and again to Live in the now! Stop and smell the roses! Savor each moment! I suppose like many, I like to think I subscribe to these credos, but in truth, I find them to be some of the hardest advice to follow. Nice in theory, incredibly difficult in practice. Indeed, with all that is crammed into schedules and the immediacy of communication, work, play, overtime and out of time; planning, calendars, dates and deadlines, sometimes I find it damn near impossible to pull over, stop the car, walk out into the field, breathe deeply and enjoy. After all, if I live in this wonderful moment, I'll likely be late and ill-prepared for the next!

Today, I find myself in a position I'd have given anything for a year ago. A trip to Seattle planned for April, with Gus juggling three interviews over a long weekend. The third, a flattering surprise - an unsolicited call from a hospital that heard he was returning to Seattle and wanted to express their interest. After many years of standing at the echoing well, our cup now runneth seriously over.

And yet, it's so hard for me to just bask in this long-awaited moment. To just sit down, shut up and feel the warmth and accomplishment of this pivotal moment. No, instead I find myself chomping at the bit, thinking, "That's great, now what's next? Chop, chop!"

It's in these moments that my mind turns to the life lived by the iconic Laura Ingalls Wilder. Sustained for months on one letter from family, out of date upon its arrival, yet reading and rereading the good and bad news of those familiar. The thrill of a beautiful new dress, a sticky stick of strong peppermint candy, a well-worn story from Pa, a perfect, fragrant orange.

I know this simplicity is all but lost to modernity, replaced by so many other wonderful ways of life, but I still long to capture the essence of her sustained appreciation from time to time. To get off the sleek speed of the bullet train express and mosey on over to a covered wagon, and take my seat on its worn wooden bench.

"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong."

                                                                          — Laura Ingalls Wilder