pocket door

In the list of things that delight me: discovering something “new” that was there all along. Something I just hadn’t noticed before.

The biggest A-HA! moment lately was during another unusually hot summer here in the PNW. I am still not convinced that I’ve determined the ultimate configuration and timing of opened/closed windows and fan placement to reduce the temperature in my 2^nd floor condo. I may have resolved to acclimate and stop complaining, but I continue to fiddle around.

One breezy day, I opened windows to create air movement through the hall from the west to the east-facing living-room which is the hottest area. My kitchen doorway has a pocket door I infrequently use, but for some reason I pulled it out et voilà! The hallway became a wind funnel. I laughed and clapped and danced and grinned.

Later I wondered what kind of metaphor there is for that—an open door typically represents opportunity. Is opening a pocket door closing the doorway?  Is closing a pocket door opening the doorway?  Not everything has to have a special meaning but in this case it was obvious and a topic that keeps popping up for me: energy.

I generally have three free hours each evening from which I may, now that the sunsets are earlier, squeeze out one hour doing something productive other than reading. Am I the only person who poses for a gymnast’s dismount when I lurch off the sofa?

The pocket door redirected the energy and seemed to magnify it. When I stop my current job, my energy will get redirected. But it’s not a simple exchange that the x hours I work a day will be available for something else. With the overall exhaustion and stress that go along with those x hours, how much energy will be available for something that is meaningful to me and feels rejuvenating?

Along with thinking about my own energy in SLSR, making decisions as my tiny house gets built has me learning about the sustainable energy I need to consider and use to work with nature: solar, wood, and wind. And for stretches of Nova Scotia gray, the solar array will provide backup to power the tiny retreat for up to 3 days with no sunlight. Like many working folk, currently my only opportunity to recharge is on the weekend. What happens when I started recharging every day?

References and related posts:

• PNW: Pacific Northwest
• SLSR: simpler living semi-retirement.
• Previous Post: the heat