I wrote an email to a friend recently, catching up a little since the last letter, and I thought that it might be appropriate to reprint some of it here.
About a month after I moved out here to Washington, I had started to become accustomed to the different terrain (including the sight of an espresso bar on every corner) and pace of life. But, my adjustements were quickly thrown off course when I began to realize that the sun was sinking much faster every evening. Pretty soon, the season had shifted so that it is full dark by the time I leave work at 5pm. It gets dark early in the winter in Kentucky, too, but we had at least 45 more minutes of daylight and dusk than what I’m getting now. I feel sleepier and I’ve been frequenting those espresso bars more often than I used to.
For the past two months, I have been singing with the community women’s chorus. We have done two concerts and had great fun besides. It’s not the same fun I had singing with the Berea shape note group in Kentucky, nor was that the same fun as I had singing with the Mennonites in college, but it’s music, which is always a guarantee of a good time. When I look back at the girl who could barely carry a tune in a bucket and certainly would never think of singing anywhere more public than her private shower, I am amazed to be where I am now.
I went hiking with some folks from church the other week, and I realized two things: 1) I’m really out of shape. 2) I never was in shape for the kind of hills they have here. Oy! The hike we went on had an elevation change of 1,000′, and we were still 400′ or so elevation from the summit before I had to turn back. Even then, I was afraid of my legs collapsing under me. I’ve decided that next quarter, I’m going to pay the fee and start going to the faculty work-out lunch things. My hope is by next fall, I’ll be able to finish that hike and not hobble around with sore joints and muscles for two days afterwards.
