Day 16: Rest

WEDNESDAY. Sometimes the body just quits and says, "Enough!" Faced with a minor health challenge, I opted to remain horizontal for much of the day, but rallied for a brief evening commitment. This forced rest period gave me time to think, reflect, and be with my thoughts while the expected repairs to body (and soul) occurred. The downside of sleeping all day is finding myself wakeful at 3 AM, sitting in front of my laptop, lights out so as not to wake others who are sleeping soundly. There is much snoring coming from the other side of the room from my 2 and 4 legged traveling companions. I am jealous of their deep slumber.

Practicing my rusty Spanish at every opportunity, I'm discovering I remember far more than I imagined. I am actually able to make myself understood. This motivates me to deepen my knowledge of Spanish in a more disciplined way. Fluency beckons.

I read a startling statistic today in connection with the drought. According to the National Weather Service, Albuquerque has received only .41 inches of rain since May 2005. This past week it has been clouding up in the afternoon, and sometimes briefly rains over the mountains, but the rain evaporates before reaching the valley, creating "dry thunderstorms." I will think of this in the coming weeks when I'm backwashing the pool after a heavy rainfall that dumps 3-5 inches. Too bad the extra rain can't be harvested and piped to arid regions.

Our New Mexican vacation seems to be winding down and we are contemplating the drive back to Hurricane Alley. We hope our return route will be fast and direct, through Amarillo and Dallas instead of West Texas. Murphy can't wait to get back for his daily pool swims.

For now, more rest is in order to prepare for a long drive at the end of the week.