EMPTY HEADED NUMB SKULL

I know this sounds like the start of a Patti rant but actually it is the opposite. 

"Empty headed numb skull" was my oldest brother Jack's favorite scathing term for someone low in his estimation of having any sort of good sense. Jack was very bright and known for being a bit critical so the term cropped up frequently.  Luckily, I   don't recall it ever being aimed at me. I was his perfect baby sister after all. 

However, while he meant it as the lowest condition a human could be in, today it is a state I eagerly seek.  Being empty headed is not all that bad and being a numb skull means you are feeling no pain in the brain.  I know people who take strong, often illegal medication just to reach that state.

I have found a non-toxic way.  It is called a hammock. 

My little place for contentment is strung up on my porch. It is shaded from the hot sun and on the corner that almost always has a nice breeze.  It is so nice that I have had to fight yearly to keep this particular corner to my self as the birds seem to feel it is prime nesting real estate.    They did not take kindly to my intrusion. 

This year I have finally found a simple solution to keep my porch bird nest free. With some aluminum screening, I cut sections to place up in the cavities that were prime nesting spots. Cutting the screen was simple once I discovered gloves. 

Climbing up and down a ladder about 60 times was a bit much as I decided to do the whole house but I am thrilled with the results.  The screens are not attached but just tucked in.  However, even with severe storms, they have stayed put. It isn't exactly pretty but unless you look up, no one notices but the birds.   The porch and hammock are now all mine.  Ahhhh.

At least twice a day, early morning and late evening, I empty my brain in that comfortable sling. My body is completely relaxed and at peace there. I feel as if I am floating, there are no pressure points and the view is soothing.  I enjoy the company of my old friend "mellow." 

I can look out on my yard, enjoy the results of my yard work, search the sky for shapes I recognize in the clouds, and listen to the chatter of the birds that rest in the tree by my head. Occasionally a little brown body scurries by as Mighty explores his acre making me smile. Not one intense thought rears its ugly head.  

This interlude smooths out the wrinkles in my brain caused by increasingly alarming world events, bizarre natural disasters, family concerns or friends who might be struggling health wise. In this state, my brain no longer shouts but barely whispers and then only gentle,soothing things. My senses, not my mind are at work. 

Ahh--yes, I am virtually an empty-headed-numb-skull. Now I wouldn't want to walk around like that as a natural condition,  but for brief periods, it is marvelous and restorative.

Is it a form of meditation? Perhaps. All I know if that if I don't get my fix daily, I am not nearly the happy camper I am as when I do get it.

Do you have such a place that gives you total peace?  I really hope you do but if you don't, think hammock in the shade. I can highly recommend it and it has no long list of negative side effects. A temporary lack of productivity might be the only one. 

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This next picture I just had to add.  It was sent to me by my sister-in-law.  She took it at 11:00 AM on the 4th of July. She was just walking by the electric meter when she noticed something special.  I mean, how patriotic is this? Even their house  recognized the day.  

Click on picture for close up.