Gathering my Thoughts and sighing it all out...
/::outside my window
Who knows? I left my little girls with a giant bag of bulbs to plant, so hopefully, there's some fall gardening happening. But outside the window here...
::listening to
::clothing myself in
Jeans, t-shirt, gray hoodie--autumn uniform. I seriously need to work on this whole wardrobe thing.
::talking with my children about these books
I've fallen into the Rick Riordan rabbit hole.
I listened to To Be a Runner twice. I really, really love this book. It's not just a running book, not at all. It's life book and one that I think holds a message for all of us. The book is thoughtful, spiritual without being sanctimonious, and inspiring in its own way. The author is Bill O'Reilly's co-author on the Killing... series; clearly, he's a gifted and skillful writer and that really matters to me lately. Good, good read.
::thinking and thinking
My thoughts are all over the place. I'm thinking about Advent. And about sewing. I'm thinking about running. I'm thinking about what's for dinner. I'm thinking about marriage. I'm thinking about having a long talk with a very old friend. Thinking. Always thinking.
::pondering
I'm still thinking about this book, and about this quote. I know that I write way too often about the perils of fast-moving technology, especially social media. Increasingly, I find that mine is a lonely position. The reality, however, is that, for some of us, it's all too fast. It's all too disconnected. We sit here wonderingly, while the people we love are swept along in the fast-moving tide of constant interaction and constant change. And we know that we will be left behind. We might be able to maintain our own calm and our own capable, but we will be in that peaceful state mostly by ourselves.
...between digital technology and rising complexity, there's more information and more requests coming at us faster, and more relentlessly than ever. Unlike computers, however, human beings aren't meant to operate continuously, at high speeds, for long periods of time. Rather, we're designed to move rhythmically between spending and renewing our energy. Our brains wave between high and low electrical frequencies , our hearts beat at varying intervals our lungs expand and contract depending on demand. It's not sufficient to be good at inhaling. Indeed, the the more deeply you exhale, the calmer and more capable you become. --from Manage Your Day to Day.
::carefully cultivating rhythm
It's November, y'all! How in the world did that happen? It's time for me to really put some plans on paper and commit to some strategies for moving peacefully through the next couple months. So much going on! Nutcracker and important soccer games, holiday plans, and some running goals to meet. The planner--all on paper--is my friend.
::creating by hand
We've launched a Christmas Pajama Sewalong. Fabric is purchased and ready to cut and Kristin is all set to sew with me. Likely, we'll recruit my friend Nicole, too. And Nicole and I have stacks of Nutcracker costumes to alter. So, sewing is going to happen and happen and happen in the next three weeks. Pretty pictures bound to be created. Stay tuned for a big edition of needle & thREAD on Friday.
::learning lessons in
How timeless the wisdom of the saints can be. My friend Lisa shared this with me a couple days ago:
““If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out… Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter… Do not give yourself to others so completely that you have nothing left for yourself.” ”
::encouraging learning in.
Deadlines. My children prepared trifold poster boards for our parish's All Saints celebration. They each had a saint to research and they prepared images and text for the boards. It was a hard, fast deadline. There was no negotiating due to illness or soccer or time invested campaigning the week before an election. I recognized how rarely we have deadlines that aren't wiggly at all. And I recognized how important it is that they know how to meet those deadlines...
::begging prayers
::keeping house
We've been doing some deep cleaning before the winter chill has us close up the house and huddle close. However, I've been gone for three days, so who knows what my house looks like right now.
::crafting in the kitchen
I did some bulk cooking before I left and I brought meals with me here. It's really nice to have a weekends to get ahead on weekday cooking. I'm really sorry, however, that my weekend unexpectedly opened up when Stephen unexpectedly lost in overtime in the State Cup semi-final. The "threepeat" was not to be.
::to be fit and happy
I've reached a pretty major goal. I wanted to be able to run a 5K regularly, at least three days a week. I got there a couple weeks ago. Now, I'm trying to extend one of those runs a little longer every week. I'm also making friends with the bike in my closet again. It's looking like a very cold and snowy winter .
::giving thanks
for Kristin. She's the creative force behind the photo graphics for our new #morningrun feature. Honestly, I could not have imagined this kind of relationship--not just the blogging together, but the doing life together. It's so much richer, so much more than I ever hoped (and I had very high hopes). She's a best friend. She's a big sister, especially to my girl who has never had a big sister. And by golly, she's really great mom. "Daughter-in-love" doesn't even capture it. So grateful.
::loving the moments
spent inhaling autumn. Good, good runs these days, even with the hills. Especially with the hills.
living the liturgy
I picked up this book again today. It's 33 days before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I'm very fond of that feast and this seems the perfect time for a little bit of a retreat.
::planning for the week ahead
I'm in Charlottesville right now. Paddy has a game tonight. Tomorrow will be all about re-entry. I see a lot of sewing in the next few days and a weekend spent at the studio making last year's costumes fit this year's girls. Truth be told, I have an incredible fondness for tulle so I'm looking forward to it. And, I'm trying super hard to pull together an Advent workshop. The ladies from last spring's Restore Workshop have asked about something late this fall and into the early winter. Trying to see what I can do ...
