Flutterby™! : Revelations in Zion

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Revelations in Zion

2004-04-23 16:25:11.252101+00 by Dan Lyke 4 comments

I have a need to drop in a little something out of chronological order. I promise I'll get around to the trip soon, but this ties together with my recent experiences in a way that I wanted to get up here. This is the view from the back of our camp site just outside of Zion in Springdale Utah.

We got there fairly early, after a day of driving through Nevada, and then crossing over the range into Utah. The difference in feeling between the two states was amazing, and it was only after setting up the tent here, on Tuesday, and spending (quite) some time listening to the creek burble by and staring at the changing colors as the sun set over the sandstone walls around me that the vacation really sunk in.

And I thought "what the hell, I could chuck it all, come out here and get some evening job and spend mornings in this and be quite happy for many years."

Skip to last night. I was building circuits and cases, and in the process I had to drill holes in a bunch of boxes. Align jig, clamp, drill, change bit, drill, move clamp, repeat. And I thought "damn, this is tedious", then I realized "wait, this is the same sort of stuff I did when I punched a clock in my first job out of High School", then I knew why in all the previous opportunities to chuck it all and go live out where it's beautiful I've had to go the other way.

[ related topics: Photography Dan's Life Nature and environment Work, productivity and environment Travel Dan & Charlene's April 2004 Desert Trip ]

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2004-04-23 17:48:29.320679+00 by: Shawn

I'm not following you. You have an attraction to tedious work?

#Comment Re: made: 2004-04-23 18:01:55.582049+00 by: Diane Reese

Shawn, I think it's 'cause he *ISN'T* attracted to tedious work that he hasn't taken past opportunities to chuck it all and live in beauty -- all that would be reliably available in many such areas would be tedious work. (Did I get that right, Dan?)

#Comment Re: made: 2004-04-23 18:07:27.667875+00 by: Dan Lyke

Sorry for the lack of clarity. Yep, Diane got it. But I do have to have regular reminders that as much as I piss and moan about this job I'm not doing the same thing over and over again, and that as much as I think I can hack it in exchange for my surroundings, at several points in the past I've made the conscious decision to choose work which stimulates me over where I live.

#Comment Re: made: 2004-04-23 18:50:41.262623+00 by: Shawn [edit history]

Okay, that makes sense. I didn't automatically make that connection. On the occasions when I think about moving to a more relaxing [physical] environment, the thought usually goes hand in hand with "...assuming I could get some kind of broadband access and telecommuting employment set up".