Thoughts Overtake

There is no end to the subjects that scurry through my mind when I first waken and stretch, deciding whether to get out of bed or linger. My sister sang an old army ditty where the private hated to get up in the morning, hated to get out of bed when the first bugle sounded. In the final line the private vowed to shoot the bugler and spend the rest of his life in bed.
While that sounds delicious for a moment it does not suit me. I bounce out of bed and here in Bellingham, as the sun rises, I am out on the park trail to pump up my heart rate. The path along Whatcom Creek Greenway is on the ridge of a steep bank which also helps me visualize a scene in my novel set in Jamaica where the heroine is bucked off her horse in a violent storm and tumbles down a steep incline.
I do not have a park trail near my back door at home. My favorite trail is fifteen miles away in McNary National Wildlife Refuge next to the Corps of Engineer’s Hood Park on the Snake River.
So I bounce out of bed and do stretching exercises at the kitchen counter while my oatmeal cooks. And on the living room floor while my toast roasts. Then I do what ever needs doing. I leave my car on the far corner of the parking lot forcing a walk to the store entry and back.
And all the while thoughts keep scurrying through my mind and I keep on moving. This old stone doesn’t have a chance to stop and gather moss.
Naomi Sherer