everchanging view

(nester. i'm sorry. i'm trying. it was really ambitious of me to sign up for 31 days of blogging. but i'm taking you at your word. 'It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.'

i agree. so i'm gonna continue on, regardless of being behind.)

jaded and cynical. at times that definitely describes me.

especially in our current political season.

if i let myself, i can go down a road of curmudgeon-y disillusionment.

i don't want to be that girl.

i also don't want to be the pollyanna, 'always looking on the bright side' chick either. honestly, that nauseates me too.

i want to be honest and real, looking at life and the world with humor and gratitude.

loved this reading below and wanted to you to hear it.

listen to this...

From St. Augustine on Jesus' miracle at Cana...

"Our Lord's miracle in turning water into wine comes as no surprise to those who know that it is God who did it. At the wedding that day he made wine in the six waterpots he had filled with water; but he does that same thing every year in the vines. The servants put the water in the jugs, and he turned in into wine. In the same way the Lord turns into wine the water that the clouds drop. Only that does not amaze us, because it happens every year...." The miracle that breaks the rules reminds us that the rules themselves are miraculous.

We need to rediscover and cherish a basic sense of wonder, of surprise, of the precariousness of actuality.

Ecclesiastes, the dismal world weary preacher of the Old Testament, might grumble that "there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccles. 1:9) but the New Testament answers loudly and excitedly, "Look, I am making all things new" (Rev. 21:5). Of course, ...all of us ... get Ecclesiastes moods... but we should not devote our minds and imaginations to prolonging and justifying them. We should aim rather to have minds and imaginations able to respond joyfully....This kind of appreciation cannot help but include an element of thanksgiving. As Chesterton said, "Children are grateful when Santa Claus puts in their stockings gifts of toys and sweets. Could I not be grateful to Santa Claus when he puts in my stockings the gift of two miraculous legs?"'

happy monday.

here's to a sense of wonder this week.

'ON YOUR MARKS'

'GET SET'

'GO'

hardest word ever for me. how can only two little letters be such a pain in my butt??

i mean, i can 'GO' if it's about my kids.

or my job.

or even my hubs (he'll likely disagree and honestly he's probably right. he often gets lumped into the 'things i can procrastinate about' category)

but when it's about me, lots of times i stop.

or never start.

this month, this fall is about changing that pattern.

it's time to stop milling around the starting blocks, stretching my quads and such. (lolz)

it's time to GO.

GOing for me looks different than GOing for you. some of my GOing is actually about stopping...downsizing my life and overcommitments.

learning to say NO to what's good so i can say YES to what's best. for me.

Taking Care of Me.

newsflash, I'M NOT 20 ANYMORE. sounds crazy but i have to remind myself that my brains, my body, and my soul need different care than they did at 20. so in the reassessing, i've started some new routines. and let me explain what i mean by routines, cause i am the kind of person that will just flat out quit if i miss a time or two of stated goals, feeling like a total failure. by routine, i mean most days. doing my best. being committed to these. not enslaved by them. there is a difference.

1) morning time (for reading, praying, journaling, sitting still, listening.)

2) exercise (and i don't mean walking up the stairs to get my phone. i mean working out, running, getting stronger. actually doing a push up)

3) caring for me (more sleep, eating healthier, less alcohol, reading more, etc...)

4) building margin (saying 'no' so that i can say 'yes.' but more on this later)

5) having fun. reading. hanging out with friends.

Taking Care of My Family.

that looks totally different now than it did 10 years ago. or even 5 years ago.

my family is older. 20, 18, and 15.

two of them don't live with me on a daily basis.

how do you take care of someone who doesn't live with you

(besides wellsfargo.com/transfer.money.to.me??)

what's the right way to 'mom' my beautiful young women? what speaks love to them? how do they need me to guide them?

and how about Wy? what about him? what's the right amount of freedom? responsibility?

and how do you have a vibrant loving growing relationship with your husband when he travels? a lot.

a relationship that changes as kids leave but is strong. and fun. fulfilling. meaningful.

i don't have any bulleted goals for this. i'm trying to listen to them, to pay attention and make time for them. being present. engaged.

Taking Care of Our Home

my poor house has suffered the last 5 years or so. my job requires so much of my creative energy that my house is an afterthought. so i have two goals (yes, bullet points) concerning home and house:

1) downsizing: getting rid of the extra, the stuff that i've just accumulated, but don't need and don't use. making space. less clutter.

2) rearranging and beautifying. it's time to reinvent some spaces. moving around what i have. redesigning (channelling my inner CBL...)

so that's it.

kinda boring.

not unique.

but what i think, what i hope is that as i do these things, as i get GOing here, in these fairly mundane areas, i'll open up the door to who knows what other awesome adventures.

everchanging view

a sense of wonder.

GO.

enjoy the ride.

today's words are the inspiration for the theme of the month. written by one of my all time favorite artists, James Taylor.

you can listen here.