Dispatch from the Night Watch

I've been awake since 2:00 a.m.; of course, I did go to bed at 8 p.m.  My Fitbit tells me that I haven't been getting much in the way of deep sleep in the past week or two, which isn't a surprise to me.  But I have been getting writing done, a surprise to me too.

My spouse has managed to keep sleeping, although he went to bed at 7 p.m.  We are a worn out pair of people!  So I can't do much of what needs to be done today to get ready for the part 2 of the Great Flooring Project.  In a way, I'm not sad.  I love this very early morning writing time.

At 4 a.m., I went outside to look for the moon.  I had misread the moonrise chart--the moon won't be up for hours.  As I have been many times this summer, I was struck by the lack of any breeze at all.  I heard some dripping, but I think it was coming from the neighbor's house.  I'm always on the alert for leaks--so much damage can come on so quickly.

I heard distant noises from people who probably hadn't gone to bed yet:  motorcycles and some voices and a car here and there.  As I walked on the driveway, I thought about not getting too far away from the safety of the house.  I also carried my favorite Lutheridge mug, one that was created in 1985 to celebrate 35 years of camping.  I thought about the unwiseness of carrying it outside.  I try to take a Zen approach to possessions (the glass is already broken, so enjoy it while you have it), but I'm not very good at it.

I think of my fellow citizens further to the north, the ones listening to the rain and worrying about the floods that are coming (and have already come) with Hurricane Florence.  I told a spin class friend that I'd almost rather deal with wind damage than water damage.  You think you have water damage cleaned up and then, days/months/years later, you smell mold.  I don't know how we'll ever get the cottage back into livable shape.  But that's a project for a different year.

I have been listening to all the various programs taking a look back on the Great Recession of 2008, which many say began this week 10 years ago, when Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy--in fact, it was on this very day 2008 that it happened.  I remember reading reports of markets falling and thinking that I was witnessing history, the type of history I'd prefer not to witness.

I've heard many commentators say that at any point that there's lots of leverage/debt out there, we're in danger of this kind of crash.  I'm seeing lots of leverage:  high student loan debt, high debt that governments take on, and I'm not convinced that the mortgage market is in a stable state.

I've been hearing lots of horrible experiences that people suffered.  It's like hearing the #MeToo stories.  I feel relief to have escaped the worst of it, while also aware that my luck could change through no fault/action of my own.

As always, these days I cope by taking my days one at a time, keeping my focus on the one or two tasks I need to do to stay on track or recalibrate in all the areas of my life.  That said, it's time to think about getting ready for a walk.