Date Night, Buchanan, VA

 

 

Almost every Friday night we go out for dinner with friends. It is rarely anything fancy. We like burgers, wings, or pizza. Last week Steve suggested we check out a little place in Buchanan called "Mrs. B.'s Restaurant and Bar" for dinner. The building has changed hands so many times over the years that we have lost track of when it was open and when it was closed. But, we like to support local businesses when we can, so off we went. We ordered our usual burgers, tater tots, quesadillas, etc. I thought my sliders and tots were very good. It was a lovely evening so we walked up to the corner and across the swinging bridge. Steve and I had never walked on it in all the years we lived here! It was pretty wiggly and a little disconcerting to try and keep my balance. After our walk we crossed Main Street and spotted a little place that sold Homestead Creamery ice cream. It is called, "James River Drip and it looked like they served easy meals too. We got cones and sat on the cement steps of a closed storefront. We wanted to linger and enjoy the mild evening while we ate our ice cream. A church friend walked by with his granddaughter and her friend on their way to the Buchanan movie theater. We all chatted and kidded around for a few minutes and then went on our way. 

It felt real pleasant to be on a small- town- America Main Street just strolling and hanging out like this. I wish Buchanan were thriving but it doesn't appear to be so. There are too many empty storefronts sprinkled among the open businesses. A new brewery recently opened on the southern end of Main Street and perhaps that will bring in some new businesses. The town sits directly on the James River. Every summer there is an old time carnival and Fourth-of-July fireworks. There is an active library and an antique shop and a few years ago they brought back the agricultural fair. There is also "Twin River Outfitters" where one can rent kayaks and enjoy the river. I think this coming weekend I will suggest the brewery for our evening out. We should keep supporting these places as long as we can.

We drove the back roads home. I especially enjoy the Blue Ridge Turnpike which is a little back road that connects Route 11 to the town of Fincastle. There are some beautiful farms along the way including this tree that I always admire. Tonight we stopped so I could take a photo. It is a magnificent tree.

 

The Next Shiny, Bright, New Thing

 

I took some time to examine why, in this beautiful season of rebirth, life continues to feel overtaxed and complicated. The answer was not difficult for me to see. I barely complete one task and I am already looking ahead to the next. Sometimes I do not even finished with task number one when I begin number two and three and four. I am juggling too many balls. I get it all done, but the joy of the moment is lost in the hustle. Like many of my creative friends, I am distracted by the next, shiny, new thing. The result is a backlog of projects that are forever lined up waiting their turn but never get done because another new project bumps into first place ahead of them. 

No more!

It is time to slow down and smell the beautiful flowers in the yard. It is time to sit with a magazine and slowly contemplate every page. It is time to take all day to bake some bread and then sit on the porch while it rises. It is absolutely time to stop scrolling on my phone, but rather sit and think about things or do a bit of hand sewing while I wait for dinner to bake. It is time to have long conversations with people instead of quick, abbreviated text messages. It is time to paint life with forethought, one careful stroke at a time. No wonder it feels like the days are passing in a blur. I am too busy to notice them!

In the spirit of living up to my desire to slow down, I went into my pile of unfinished projects and began carefully finishing each one. I finally attached the binding to the Christmas tree skirt I pieced back in February. I finished sewing an apron that I started two years ago. (!) And now I am hand quilting a little doll quilt that I pieced a few years back. I am still working on the little quilt and it is giving me great pleasure. I took it out to the porch and sat there to stitch. I enjoyed making the little stitches around each little bit of colorful fabric. I listened to the birds sing and let my mind wander from thought to thought. I stopped to fix lunch for Steve and our son-in-law Daniel, who was here for the weekend. It was a lovely pace for the day.

There is no profound revelation here, just the acknowledgement that I was getting off track and not living each day with the purpose and intent that gave me joy. I am glad I took the time to assess what was making me feel over anxious and irritated. It was just me, getting a little bit lost. I think I have found my right path again. No surprise that it is not in the next shiny, bright, new thing.

Finis!