stepping outside

Another season of writing has begun. These days are rich for my soul. Over the last week I've been editing the "former atheist" book and beginning the new devotional. This afternoon I'm snuggled under a quilt with a hot mug of organic mint tea, a box of Kleenex, warm slippers, and my laptop.

The writing has flowed smoothly, paused only for a short podcast interview from D.C. and a somewhat longer distress call from below. Dad was firing up the wood stove for the first time and as the stove "cured" and the smoke billowed, our dear Jonathan feared he would die from the fumes.

While Bear addressed the root of the fireplace problem, I tended to the fruit from the problem. "Jona," I said calmly, "you won't die. Let's put on winter coats and go outside." Part of Asperger's strength is the ability to hyper-focus on a problem. Part of the shadow of that strength is a vulnerable to getting one's brain "stuck" on a problem. Jona was stuck.

Breathing the fresh (freezing!) outside air, he began to calm down. Watching him I remembered that one of my doctor's recommended spending at least 10 minutes each day outside regardless of the weather. She is wise. There's something about stepping outside that is perspective-inducing...

In fact, I think I'll go find my shoes.