Jottings from the Mountain: Looking up at the mountain

Monday, November 14, 2005

Looking up at the mountain

Well, here I am, a basically unemployed consultant who really wants to be a writer. What is basically unemployed? Well, basically, I'm unemployed. I became tired of being away from home on these 8-10 week assignments, working at stuff I really hate even though I'm very good at it. I asked my employer (who shall remain nameless, and often clueless) for assignments that were closer to home, or shorter in duration.

They don't exist, apparently. So we had a parting of the ways. I'm at that point in my life where I have realized that making the most possible money isn't the best use of my time. My wife and I met late in life, so we already don't have as much time to spend together, by default. I have no desire to lose more of those 0h-so-precious days while I'm still fit enough and sane enough to enjoy them.

Ergo, my wonderful wife is being very supportive at my attempt to do full-time what I have only tried to do on a part-time basis before now: write. And believe me, if you have not tried to make a living as a writer, you have no idea how much looking up at the mountain you do. There's a lot of walking uphill.

On a more positive and real-world note, we recently bought property that includes a small mountain (OK, a glorified hill, but gimme a break here!) The view from there is fantastic - I can literally see into two other counties at least, and when the rest of the leaves fall from the trees, possibly into three! We are planning a new house on the highest point of the property, with a nice observation deck on the second story to make the view even better. My lack of employment makes it much slower to accomplish, true, but we have a very solid and wonderful dream.

We have pitched a tent on that highest point, and have taken lawn furniture up there. So, when we get discouraged about our dreams, we walk up the mountain and sit there. We look at the geese flying overhead, at the view of the rolling hills covered with trees that go into the distance. We sit there at night and watch the stars dance overhead. Sometimes, we lie there on our backs on a blanket, looking up at the sky and trying to fathom the mind of God.

There must be a reason the ancients built their temples and groves of worship on the high places.