A well lived windy and gloomy day in the forest

"Without a fire and warmth, nothing makes sense on a day like this", I told myself. It is the heat that makes our shadows a little less scary. Now, after spending all morning in bed wandering back and forth through my ideals and desires, feeling lusty and at the same time trying to give my mind some kind of direction, giving in, giving out... Now I reset myself to go back to the basics, to giving the elemental forces of Nature the importance they deserve.

Once the blood is no longer cold and the body stops wanting to curl up in self-protection, it becomes easier to move around and get through a day where the only sounds are the blowing of the wind, the crackling of the leaves and dry branches. Not even the birds bother to sing in this apocalyptic atmosphere. But once the cold is gone, all this becomes much less effective in bringing me into gloom.

It begins raining and I keep feeding the fire, however this flame can do more than keep me warm, so I heat up some water to cook. Meanwhile I run to the garden with hopes of finding a few quick greens to harvest for the red beans and quinoa I have in my mind. The first things I spot are the broccoli and the huge cabbage leaves that look very appealing. I take a little of everything, even broccoli leaves as quickly as possible before I get soaked.

Though in a hurry, I can't help but notice the flowers on a broccoli plant that @choli and I decided to allow blooming, in hopes of harvesting seeds. The rain is getting heavier but I want to take a picture badly, so I do:

The rest of the afternoon transitions between looking for dry wood to maintain the fire, as well as carrying buckets of water from the stream to keep a supply of hot water which I use to wash dishes and drink.

Finally the food is ready 🥣

With a full belly, a warm body, and the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the shelter, I feel in perfect conditions, relaxed, and at home. What seemed to be a dark day has suddenly become bright from the inside out. I take some deep breaths, and after a while @choli arrives. She tries out my beans and says they taste good. We stay inside watching Vikings: Valhalla and drinking beer.

We discuss on the fact that the show is provided by "Mindhunter". What is that telling us? Is it out to hunt the minds of spectators? Or does it hunt outside for possibilities to expand en enhance the minds of the audience? We talk about how the world is your ally or your enemy depending on how you decide to see it. Are aliens our predators or our guides? Is the war between Russia and Ukraine a tragic event, or an attention call for humanity to keep waking up? It's finally up to us what to make of it all. There's also the possibility to not make anything of it.

Well, enough. We must all be careful with the ways we compete with the rest of the world. In the end, war is the exacerbation of competition.