A new definition of "work."

Every day here in Muskoka ends with the feeling of total, yet pleasant exhaustion. Hours and hours under the sun spent lifting, cleaning, schmoozing, painting, towing, fixing, and mowing can leave one with very little other than all-consuming weariness. But I say this not to complain, but rather to compare it to my previous position. In Portland, I passed eight to nine hours per day behind a desk, answering phones, writing letters, and compiling documents. And, in all honesty, I actually spent many of those hours procrastinating on such intellectually stimulating sites as gofugyourself.com and perezhilton.com (I'm not proud of this, ok? I'm just an addict! I did manage to maintain a love affair with salon.com as well, but Miriam and I often spent far too many hours with the Fug Girls to concern ourselves with international affairs). I would often return from the office bored and unchallenged, and would use my evenings to burn off the excess energy I had managed to accrue throughout the day.

Here at the marina and at the cottage (and yes, I understand that I am dealing with a novel, short-termed situtation), the hours fly by with barely a moment to catch one's breath. There is always work to be done, this work is always an outdoor task, and it always involves manual labour. I am so grateful to have this time in my life to help to contribute to my parents' business and contribute my own strength, sweat, and energy to their life's dream. Tonight I spent an hour cooking an elaborate vegetable stir-fry for my parents - I even got my dad to enjoy tofu - and they were unbelievably appreciative of someone else preparing dinner for them after the first day of the Canadian Long Weekend.

Tonight, like every night thus far, I will collapse into bed and sleep for at least eight hours. I have been here at the lake just over a week, and already notice my body slipping into a deep, healthy, and invigorated relaxation. Now, I could use this entry as an starting point from which to rant and rave about obesity and boredom and the lack of self-sufficiency in our culture today, but instead I will simply express for the opportunity to live simply for a few weeks this summer. India will certainly bring about a new set of challenges, and I am fortunate to have the time to pause, reflect, and work hard before I move to Asia.

Sweet Dreams!