Ecosystem

I tattooed the words “Frog” and “Toad” on my fingers two days ago. “Why?” you might ask. My response will always be, “Why not…I’m an idiot.” I imagine the main reason is that frogs and toads have always been a huge part of who I am. The idea started as a joke that I told myself. I giggled every time I thought about having that tattooed on my fingers. Since life is typically the opposite of hilarious, I’ll take moments that make me laugh anytime.

So, here I am, typing with spicy fingers, wondering what will unfold in this dispatch from the personification of dissonance. I’m writing this twelve hours before it goes live, which has been the norm lately. I’m thankful for the general busyness that has had me accomplishing so many little tasks lately, but it gets in the way of creativity, too—at least in this particular creative venture. I’ve been wildly inspired lately with terrarium building. Some of these enclosures may be my best work yet. I’m proud of how far I’ve come in this hobby. My mini basement zoo looks more and more legit with each passing day.

I learned valuable lessons in the last few weeks regarding my “take on anything” home project attitude. For starters, when drilling through your floor to run a cable, understand that if the power turns off, you’ve hit an electrical wire. Oof! I learned that one the hard way late last week. Thankfully there was an electrician available within an hour of my sparky mishap. There’s value in knowing that sometimes we don’t know how to do it all. It’s always great to get a fresh set of eyes and a subject matter expert when you get in too deep.

Briars took their pound of flesh from my arms and legs last week as I hiked to one of my favorite marshes near my house with one of my best friends. I came prepared with battery-powered hedge clippers. With permission from my town, of course, I cut myself a little goat path to the water’s edge. I didn’t find salamanders or larvae, but I marveled at the swampy beauty as my water-logged boots chilled me to the bone. I did find amphipods—aka scuds—and other aquatic creatures that reminded me of my fascination with freshwater ecosystems. Everyone has a job to do, and each organism seems to contribute to the overall well-being of all the rest. It’s amazing, really. These little worlds often go overlooked, but they’re equally as important as every other link in the ecological chain.

It's worth noting that sometimes you can’t finish everything on the to-do list in one try. It’s okay to take breaks. I’ve been triaging my chores and knocking them out as I can. I’m setting cut-off times and calling it a day once I hit those thresholds so I don’t burn myself out again. I’m following peace, I suppose you can say. It’s been a wonderful balance of purpose and pursuit of my passions.

This week, I started teaching—or facilitating—a creative writing group for veterans. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing, but I’m giving it the ole college try. The idea is to build community by sharing our stories. I’m pretty stoked to be doing it. I was extremely humbled to have been asked to lead this group and praying I do it justice. So far, so good. Our service shouldn’t stop when we take the uniform off. This is a tangible way I can give back to my community.

There are no words of wisdom or profound truths this week from me. I’m just a dude who’s extremely tired but equally fulfilled in my weariness. There seems to be a dualism in my modus operandi in trading time with friends and family for deeper solitude. Then, I surface from my bunker each week with written updates from the fractured adventures inside my mind on schedule. My boots are muddy, my hands throbbing, and yet my face has a smile that had been hiding for most of the last year. Here’s to remembering who we are and walking out that truth!

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