Some days are better than others and some days are worse. It’s been one of those days where I am really not sure. I got up at the buttcrack of dawn to walk 8 miles this morning. Surprisingly enough it was easy. The further I walk the easier the “shorter” walks get. And yes I just used the word shorter to describe an 8-mile walk that took about 2.5 hours to complete. Perspective is everything, isn’t it?
Then I cleaned up my stinky self and headed over the shop to teach. Fortunately I was prepared for my classes. Unfortunately the vast majority of my students forgot to come. That was more than a wee bit frustrating.

Then I came home and got ready to head out to the Boy Scout Court of Honor and potluck. I was prepared – all my potluck stuff was fixed last night except for the guacamole. But my 10 year old aspiring chef made up fresh guacamole for us, so we bug sprayed ourselves up and headed out.

I took my knitting with me, but I didn’t get anything done. It was just hot to knit with alpaca and silk and cashmere. The dinner was good – if not just a bit too long. It is still very hot out there, and 2.5 hours sitting in a muggy Florida forest was not the most enjoyable. Despite copious application of bug spray, the bugs were still biting. And as the awards and announcements went on and on I found myself very sleepy. Until the closing ceremony.

I know what today is. It is impossible to forget. Everywhere in the media you are reminded. Of what happened. And to remember where you were. Everyone has a story. For mine, I worked at a newspaper at the time. Now that was a surreal place to hear about all that was going on.

But the closing ceremony tonight was a Flag Retirement Ceremony. And suddenly scruffy, smelly boys stood up tall in their Boy Scout Uniforms and paid attention. Each flag was saluted before it was lowered into the fire. Moving words were spoken, and all was hushed and reverent. It was  kind of eerie actually. But as the flags burned I remembered what today is, what it means to our country. And so it was one of those days. The kind of day you can’t define, but are too tired at the end of it to even trek out to buy yourself a well deserved drink. Not a better day or a worse day, but a full day nonetheless.