Summer fun log
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
There’s a stretch of highway on I-65 leaving Chicago and just inside Indiana that excites me. I love to nap during a road trip. Anyone who has ever driven me anywhere can testify that I am usually asleep before the car leaves the driveway. But whenever I know I am going to pass through the wind farm I stay awake.
I have no idea why I’m fascinated by their presence. The graceful steady movement of the blades is calming. When I was in high school, this guy that I had way to big a crush on sketched a drawing for me. He gave me a few of his pieces of pencil art, probably doodled when he should have been paying attention to a teacher or cleaning his room. My favorite was a vase filled with elegant three-petal flowers with long stems. I’d kept it until a couple of years ago, not for the connection to the guy, but because I loved the charm of it. The wind farm reminds me of that bouquet. They share the same simple beauty and elegance.
Fowler Ridge spans over 50 acres and is one of the world’s largest onshore wind farms. It is a source of renewable energy to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. The windmills are functional and beautiful, strong and majestic.
During the past school year, I looked forward to what I called my ‘summer of fun.’ I made a list of all of the things I would do. I planned to visit gardens and museums, have a picnic, spend time sitting by the pool, and of course, read. But life threw me a curve ball, as it’s known to do, and taught me a lesson as well. I’m no longer putting off the fun.
We will be back to work on Tuesday. This year I have a new perspective. Every day is a day of fun. I’m setting aside time, if only 15 minutes, to do something fun each day and also a couple of hours a week, one weekend a month, and then a week or two of vacation in the summer. It’s important to take the time to renew my energy.
becoming dr. jo 