Rejuvenation

Henry David Thoreau had it exactly right when he moved into that cabin on Walden Pond. I can't think of a better place to be than at a cabin on the lake in northern Minnesota.

Since I arrived at my mom's cabin last Thursday, I have finished three books. Gosh I missed reading for fun. That is not to say I gave it up while I was in law school... But it was nice to read for fun again without a huge guilt cloud hanging over my head and a knot of anxiety in my stomach about all the reading I WASN'T doing for my law school classes. It was also nice to be able to finish a 300 page book in a day instead of a month.

I've also logged more hours in the sun in the past three days than I have all summer long. The last time I was out in the sun, besides into my car and then into a coffee shop, was Fourth of July weekend. I made a rookie mistake. I laid out in the sun for several hours that day. I burnt my chest and the tops of my legs so bad, I was shot for the rest of the weekend as far as sun exposure goes. I did manage to fish with my dad and my husband on Lake Winnibigoshish, affectionately known as Lake Winnie in my family. I wore a hat and a long sleeved shirt (even though it was well-over 80 degrees) and I kept a fleece sweatshirt over the top of my knees. Still, I could only last a few hours.

This weekend I was MUCH smarter. I work 30 spf the whole first day. Even reapplying!  I even wore a baseball cap to protect my face. My dad would be so proud. I managed to avoid a burn altogether, thank goodness for Native American roots. Now I probably have the requisite amount of vitamin D in my body again. And I made up for a little bit of the indoor seclusion I suffered for most of the summer. Fletcher loves it too. The poor dog has been as cooped as my husband and I.

Mostly it was nice to just rest. And be able to eat and drink normally without a pit of anxiety gnawing at my stomach. Or watch tv without my throat closing at errant thoughts of the bar exam. And to enjoy the company of the people around me without distraction. It turns out that life goes on after law school, and I can't wait to start living it!

"In wilderness is the preservation of the world." - Henry David Thoreau