Dream of a Cello
I find myself today facing the reality of one of my dreams coming true - participation in my first art exhibit! AND the exhibit will be this month in Los Angeles, accompanying a play put on by a close friend and her theatre company!
All that remains is for me to type up descriptions of the pieces and drop it all off.
I have no idea yet what the space will look like, how long it will be up, how people will respond, or any of those sorts of things. But....the validation I feel being taken seriously as an artist is making me feel like a firework! Aglow!!!
I got so excited, I wanted to create another piece - Now. Immediately. And did so in an hour, which will tell you that this was not as well thought through. Our international student asked me if the outline of hands that I quickly drew was a bunch of bananas. I had a good laugh!! And isn't that really the point - that creating is fun, a delight to make, a work in progress (it and us), and sparks more and more creating? And some of that creating is really just part of the process of practice, of fine-tuning our instruments, not being the end in itself but a way that we loosen up like a musician before a performance.
I was sitting in Starbucks last night to journal for an hour and heard a beautiful cello piece. I felt in me a deep longing - not just to learn the cello, although that is there - but to BE that cello, in the hands of the Master Musician, being played as I am meant to be played, being the means of bringing to life such a beautiful piece of music that I make a woman stop journalling and weep with joy in Starbucks.
May it be so.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Monday, September 13, 2010
(A Writing Prompt)
Your Story #18: Finding Strength - A police detective is assigned to a case involving arson at several Krispy Kreme doughnut shops.
Officer Stu Embert reached for the door, holding it open while an older woman shuffled inside with her grandson.
“Thanks, Officer.” She steered her grandson with a wrinkled hand palm down between his shoulder blades, but he needed no urging. He leapt away from her, ran up to a window and pressed his nose up against the glass, his hands splayed like starfish on an aquarium pane.
“Look, Nana! Look at the donut machine!”
Officer Embert watched briefly from the doorway, distracted by the boy’s excitement, the grandmother’s shuffle, and the smooth movement of the freshly glazed donuts on the conveyor belt. His stomach grumbled and jerked him back to the reason for his visit. He walked up to the counter, change heavy in his pocket and practically begging to be spent on a fresh, hot donut.
“Darn Weight Watchers,” he muttered under his breath. His wife had finally, after months of pestering and a recent diagnosis of high cholesterol, succeeded in getting him to sign up for Weight Watchers. He was always hungry, it seemed, and that zero point soup did nothing to satisfy his sweet tooth. He patted his pocket absentmindedly and cleared his throat to let the cashier know he was here on official police business.
The tall, skinny boy looked over and smiled. “Hey, Officer Stu, good to see you again – it’s been what, a couple of weeks, huh? A new record?”
“Right.” He glanced at the woman taking orders from the drive thru. Uh, Steven, I’m here on official business this time. May I talk to Susan?”
“Oh, sure. I’ll go get her.” Steven tapped the woman lightly on the shoulder and she held up her hand in a signal to wait as she said firmly, “I’m sorry, but like I said, we don’t give free samples anymore. (pause) Okay, well, we hope you can visit us another time. Have a nice day.” She turned around and smiled when she saw Officer Embert, took off the headpiece and handed it to Steven. “Hey, hold down the fort here for a minute, would you? Thanks.”
“What can I do for you, Stu? Free sample?”
“No, thanks. I’m here on business, Susan.”
“Of course you are. I still can’t believe those bastards set fire to my drive thru menu. Oops! Sorry, m’aam.” The grandmother had glared pointedly at Susan and darted her eyes sideways at her grandson, but the little boy was completely absorbed in trying to figure out the exact location where the glaze coated the donuts.
“Sure I can’t get you one of your favorites?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” His stomach growled so loudly that Susan raised her eyebrows, but he ignored it. “What can you tell me, Susan?”
“Well, as you know, we’re open until 1 a.m. on Saturdays. Steven closed up as usual, and when I came in around 4:30 to be ready to open up at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, I pulled in to the parking lot just in time to see the flames starting to spread along the grass below the drive thru sign. I grabbed a couple of quarters from my car glove box, ran over to the gas station and put the quarters into the box for that hose they’ve got over there, you know, next to the thing that pumps air in your tires? Pretty proud of myself, actually, that I thought of it. Probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t seen someone filling their radiator the day before. I put out that fire all by myself.”
Suddenly, a little voice piped up. “Anybody weird around the day before?” Officer Embert looked down, surprised to see the little boy wide-eyed and eager, directing his question at Susan.
“Yes,” she laughed. “But don’t you mind that, young man. We’re all a little weird around here. What can I get for you?”
“Two original glazed please.” The little boy put couple of dollars on the counter, wrinkled and sweaty from being held tightly in his small fist.
While Susan carefully slid the donuts into a bag, the boy looked up at Officer Embert with a serious expression. “You’ll get them, Officer. I know you will.”
“Thanks, son.”
“Are you going to get a donut?”
Officer Embert sighed a little louder than he intended. “Nope, but I hope you enjoy yours. You’ve got a nice grandmother there.”
“Uh-huh.”
Donut bag in hand, the boy skittered outside like a squirrel up a tree, his grandmother elbowing past Officer Embert as she shouted, “Child, don’t you dare run into that street!” and the door shut behind her.
Turning back to Susan, Officer Embert said, “Well, anyone suspicious around the day before?” and his radio crackled, “Dispatch to Car 43. Come in Car 43.”
“Oops, that’s me. I’ll catch you later, Susan.”
Officer Embert strode out the door, relieved to get away from the smell of sugar in the air. He sat in his police car and radioed in.
“Car 43 to Dispatch.”
“Car 43, another arson reported. Fire was put out by the fire department and a suspicious character was detained. Business located at 1616 West University Avenue.”
“Name of location?”
“Krispy Kreme.”
“Oh, give me strength!” Officer Embert shouted.
“Uh….Car 43?”
“I’m on my way.”
Your Story #18: Finding Strength - A police detective is assigned to a case involving arson at several Krispy Kreme doughnut shops.
Officer Stu Embert reached for the door, holding it open while an older woman shuffled inside with her grandson.
“Thanks, Officer.” She steered her grandson with a wrinkled hand palm down between his shoulder blades, but he needed no urging. He leapt away from her, ran up to a window and pressed his nose up against the glass, his hands splayed like starfish on an aquarium pane.
“Look, Nana! Look at the donut machine!”
Officer Embert watched briefly from the doorway, distracted by the boy’s excitement, the grandmother’s shuffle, and the smooth movement of the freshly glazed donuts on the conveyor belt. His stomach grumbled and jerked him back to the reason for his visit. He walked up to the counter, change heavy in his pocket and practically begging to be spent on a fresh, hot donut.
“Darn Weight Watchers,” he muttered under his breath. His wife had finally, after months of pestering and a recent diagnosis of high cholesterol, succeeded in getting him to sign up for Weight Watchers. He was always hungry, it seemed, and that zero point soup did nothing to satisfy his sweet tooth. He patted his pocket absentmindedly and cleared his throat to let the cashier know he was here on official police business.
The tall, skinny boy looked over and smiled. “Hey, Officer Stu, good to see you again – it’s been what, a couple of weeks, huh? A new record?”
“Right.” He glanced at the woman taking orders from the drive thru. Uh, Steven, I’m here on official business this time. May I talk to Susan?”
“Oh, sure. I’ll go get her.” Steven tapped the woman lightly on the shoulder and she held up her hand in a signal to wait as she said firmly, “I’m sorry, but like I said, we don’t give free samples anymore. (pause) Okay, well, we hope you can visit us another time. Have a nice day.” She turned around and smiled when she saw Officer Embert, took off the headpiece and handed it to Steven. “Hey, hold down the fort here for a minute, would you? Thanks.”
“What can I do for you, Stu? Free sample?”
“No, thanks. I’m here on business, Susan.”
“Of course you are. I still can’t believe those bastards set fire to my drive thru menu. Oops! Sorry, m’aam.” The grandmother had glared pointedly at Susan and darted her eyes sideways at her grandson, but the little boy was completely absorbed in trying to figure out the exact location where the glaze coated the donuts.
“Sure I can’t get you one of your favorites?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” His stomach growled so loudly that Susan raised her eyebrows, but he ignored it. “What can you tell me, Susan?”
“Well, as you know, we’re open until 1 a.m. on Saturdays. Steven closed up as usual, and when I came in around 4:30 to be ready to open up at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, I pulled in to the parking lot just in time to see the flames starting to spread along the grass below the drive thru sign. I grabbed a couple of quarters from my car glove box, ran over to the gas station and put the quarters into the box for that hose they’ve got over there, you know, next to the thing that pumps air in your tires? Pretty proud of myself, actually, that I thought of it. Probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t seen someone filling their radiator the day before. I put out that fire all by myself.”
Suddenly, a little voice piped up. “Anybody weird around the day before?” Officer Embert looked down, surprised to see the little boy wide-eyed and eager, directing his question at Susan.
“Yes,” she laughed. “But don’t you mind that, young man. We’re all a little weird around here. What can I get for you?”
“Two original glazed please.” The little boy put couple of dollars on the counter, wrinkled and sweaty from being held tightly in his small fist.
While Susan carefully slid the donuts into a bag, the boy looked up at Officer Embert with a serious expression. “You’ll get them, Officer. I know you will.”
“Thanks, son.”
“Are you going to get a donut?”
Officer Embert sighed a little louder than he intended. “Nope, but I hope you enjoy yours. You’ve got a nice grandmother there.”
“Uh-huh.”
Donut bag in hand, the boy skittered outside like a squirrel up a tree, his grandmother elbowing past Officer Embert as she shouted, “Child, don’t you dare run into that street!” and the door shut behind her.
Turning back to Susan, Officer Embert said, “Well, anyone suspicious around the day before?” and his radio crackled, “Dispatch to Car 43. Come in Car 43.”
“Oops, that’s me. I’ll catch you later, Susan.”
Officer Embert strode out the door, relieved to get away from the smell of sugar in the air. He sat in his police car and radioed in.
“Car 43 to Dispatch.”
“Car 43, another arson reported. Fire was put out by the fire department and a suspicious character was detained. Business located at 1616 West University Avenue.”
“Name of location?”
“Krispy Kreme.”
“Oh, give me strength!” Officer Embert shouted.
“Uh….Car 43?”
“I’m on my way.”
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Transformation of the Outer (and Inner) Woman
I've changed alot this past year! Something loosened up in my spirit - I'm trying new things, I'm realizing ways I want to change at my very core, I'm changing how I look on the outside to the point that even my coworkers sometimes don't recognize me at first glance!
I was stubborn about my weight for a long time. I wanted so much to just believe that people loved me for who I am rather than what I look like, but the bottom line was that I'm the one who didn't love how I looked. Being motivated by other people's opinions just doesn't work. Surviving cancer was the jolt I needed to move in a positive direction, and in the process it hit home that making healthy choices is actually empowering! Shedding twenty pounds has done wonders for how I feel about myself (I have about 15 lbs. more to go to reach a helathy BMI).
Just before my birthday this August I bought a bathing suit. I hadn't bought a bathing suit in over ten years!!! It's the first time I have ever felt totally comfortable walking around in a bathing suit, let alone sexy!
I'm eating Gardenburgers and liking them! I'm eating tofu and...starting to like it! And my daughter is trying these new things along with me - she likes cabbage! and beets! and salmon! That I am modeling a healthy lifestyle (healthy eating and regular exercise) and that my kids are catching on is really, really exciting to me! Taking the time to change ourselves has an incredible effect on our families!!!
Losing weight has also completely changed my experience of clothes shopping. I rarely shop for clothes since money is tight, but also because it was so discouraging realizing what I would buy was shoes or accessories since finding clothes I felt good/looked good in was a rare experience for me. To walk up to a rack and have to pass up the designs I liked for what fit meant that I wasn't able to really choose and develop my own style. And now! I just used my birthday money at Anthropologie - and everything that I took into the dressing room fit (even all the medium size shirts)! I chose what I wanted, not just because it fit! Who knew that losing weight could be so transformative on so many levels?!?
These days I have the feeling of "I can do that!" and "I'll try that!" - and I do! I'll jump in the pool, I'll try indoor rockclimbing, I'll start biking to work on occasion (now able to bike all the way up the hill to our house, too!), I'll wear those colors, I'll talk to that person, I'll paint that, I'll cook that, YES!!! And that is totally the spirit I want to model for our kids - a boldness and a willingness to try, to move beyond anxiety or addiction and live life with their whole (healthy) selves, to be grateful to God for who he has made us to be and want to be the very best and bless others to the fullest of our capacities!
Sometimes this feels like such a personal, inwardly focused journey, and it does take alot of ongoing thinking about myself and how I operate so that I can change these long-standing patterns. Sometimes I'm too self-focused. But as the pendulum swings around, it is gradually coming to the right place, and I am so grateful for the journey. Join me!
I've changed alot this past year! Something loosened up in my spirit - I'm trying new things, I'm realizing ways I want to change at my very core, I'm changing how I look on the outside to the point that even my coworkers sometimes don't recognize me at first glance!
I was stubborn about my weight for a long time. I wanted so much to just believe that people loved me for who I am rather than what I look like, but the bottom line was that I'm the one who didn't love how I looked. Being motivated by other people's opinions just doesn't work. Surviving cancer was the jolt I needed to move in a positive direction, and in the process it hit home that making healthy choices is actually empowering! Shedding twenty pounds has done wonders for how I feel about myself (I have about 15 lbs. more to go to reach a helathy BMI).
Just before my birthday this August I bought a bathing suit. I hadn't bought a bathing suit in over ten years!!! It's the first time I have ever felt totally comfortable walking around in a bathing suit, let alone sexy!
I'm eating Gardenburgers and liking them! I'm eating tofu and...starting to like it! And my daughter is trying these new things along with me - she likes cabbage! and beets! and salmon! That I am modeling a healthy lifestyle (healthy eating and regular exercise) and that my kids are catching on is really, really exciting to me! Taking the time to change ourselves has an incredible effect on our families!!!
Losing weight has also completely changed my experience of clothes shopping. I rarely shop for clothes since money is tight, but also because it was so discouraging realizing what I would buy was shoes or accessories since finding clothes I felt good/looked good in was a rare experience for me. To walk up to a rack and have to pass up the designs I liked for what fit meant that I wasn't able to really choose and develop my own style. And now! I just used my birthday money at Anthropologie - and everything that I took into the dressing room fit (even all the medium size shirts)! I chose what I wanted, not just because it fit! Who knew that losing weight could be so transformative on so many levels?!?
These days I have the feeling of "I can do that!" and "I'll try that!" - and I do! I'll jump in the pool, I'll try indoor rockclimbing, I'll start biking to work on occasion (now able to bike all the way up the hill to our house, too!), I'll wear those colors, I'll talk to that person, I'll paint that, I'll cook that, YES!!! And that is totally the spirit I want to model for our kids - a boldness and a willingness to try, to move beyond anxiety or addiction and live life with their whole (healthy) selves, to be grateful to God for who he has made us to be and want to be the very best and bless others to the fullest of our capacities!
Sometimes this feels like such a personal, inwardly focused journey, and it does take alot of ongoing thinking about myself and how I operate so that I can change these long-standing patterns. Sometimes I'm too self-focused. But as the pendulum swings around, it is gradually coming to the right place, and I am so grateful for the journey. Join me!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Spring Cannot Be Placed as A Rush Order
Early March, a package arrived for me. I had found a great sale on spring bulbs and was thrilled that I was able to order so many for only $20! But it is one thing to picture Twinkletoes, Anemones, Sweet Williams, Delphiniums, Blue Moon Hydrangeas, Everbearing Strawberries and Lilies in our garden and quite another to receive a box of bulbs and shoots!
My husband heroically weeded a big plot for me that had overgrown with grass and laid some black cloth down over the dirt (to prevent weeds/grass from growing back). All I had to do, he said, was to cut small holes where I wanted to plant, then dig the little hole, put in the bulb/shoot, and then we’d cover the ground around the holes with mulch. This was so easy – for about the first ten! Suddenly I realized that I had ordered A LOT of plants, and I had quite a bit of work ahead even though Dave had done the hardest part! I tell you, an hour or so later, I was literally laying on the ground while I weakly dug the last hole, and I still had 30 anemone bulbs I just had to save to plant another day!
I’m laughing now as I think about this, because this feels like such an apt metaphor for life lately! I’ve been sensing that God is bringing our family into a season of tremendous blossoming and beauty, and wow, I’m so excited about that! I’ve been wanting to rush forward into that, I feel done with this season of gestation, and Dave and I are gaining a clearer sense of our direction as a family as well as personally – but to have healthy plants that bloom, you can’t hurry them. They need time to grow roots and to anchor themselves to the soil; and, when the rain comes, they will then benefit from it instead of being overwhelmed. I can’t just rush my blooming and go straight from the bulb of an idea to the blossom of living it out!
It is exciting to look ahead. I see some of the plants growing slightly leafier or taller, but many are still in the ground, and I find myself doubting that they really will grow. On the other hand, I know they are there, like the promise of something really beautiful.
Oh, Lord, you know the desires of my heart! You know the future, you know who I am becoming, and you are my Master Gardener. That is a relief for a little bulb like me. I’m sending out my tender little shoots as best as I can, but I am depending on you to bring me into full bloom!
Early March, a package arrived for me. I had found a great sale on spring bulbs and was thrilled that I was able to order so many for only $20! But it is one thing to picture Twinkletoes, Anemones, Sweet Williams, Delphiniums, Blue Moon Hydrangeas, Everbearing Strawberries and Lilies in our garden and quite another to receive a box of bulbs and shoots!
My husband heroically weeded a big plot for me that had overgrown with grass and laid some black cloth down over the dirt (to prevent weeds/grass from growing back). All I had to do, he said, was to cut small holes where I wanted to plant, then dig the little hole, put in the bulb/shoot, and then we’d cover the ground around the holes with mulch. This was so easy – for about the first ten! Suddenly I realized that I had ordered A LOT of plants, and I had quite a bit of work ahead even though Dave had done the hardest part! I tell you, an hour or so later, I was literally laying on the ground while I weakly dug the last hole, and I still had 30 anemone bulbs I just had to save to plant another day!
I’m laughing now as I think about this, because this feels like such an apt metaphor for life lately! I’ve been sensing that God is bringing our family into a season of tremendous blossoming and beauty, and wow, I’m so excited about that! I’ve been wanting to rush forward into that, I feel done with this season of gestation, and Dave and I are gaining a clearer sense of our direction as a family as well as personally – but to have healthy plants that bloom, you can’t hurry them. They need time to grow roots and to anchor themselves to the soil; and, when the rain comes, they will then benefit from it instead of being overwhelmed. I can’t just rush my blooming and go straight from the bulb of an idea to the blossom of living it out!
It is exciting to look ahead. I see some of the plants growing slightly leafier or taller, but many are still in the ground, and I find myself doubting that they really will grow. On the other hand, I know they are there, like the promise of something really beautiful.
Oh, Lord, you know the desires of my heart! You know the future, you know who I am becoming, and you are my Master Gardener. That is a relief for a little bulb like me. I’m sending out my tender little shoots as best as I can, but I am depending on you to bring me into full bloom!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Power
I write this to remind myself, but also others, that we have more freedom than we sometimes realize. I'd love to hear your thoughts/stories about finding your power.
The summer of 2002, I was riding alone on a train to Bern, Switzerland, on a mission to replace a lost passport. I was just recently engaged at the age of 28, in a job I loved but in a highly chaotic and tense atmosphere. I had just finished a graduate level English course on Postmodern Literature to try to figure out if I wanted to go back for a graduate degree in English. I sat on the train finishing Mrs. Dalloway, when a light came on in my heart, my head, and my soul all at once. The book Mrs. Dalloway is about many things, but what stood out to me at that moment was how her day, her life, was a series of choices - but from what I remember, she didn't seem to be realizing that or owning that. It suddenly came upon me like a wave that I had the power to choose. Maybe this sounds obvious, but as someone who had grown up trying so hard to please people and do the right thing, I didn't really truly know I had this power. The power to choose how I react in thought, emotion, or action. The power to choose how I will proceed. The power to say that I need time to think things over. The power to say no, or to say yes. No matter what the circumstance, this was still my power.
Cancer, on the other hand, threw me for a loop. Even though my primary physician recommended I not get chemo, having to undergo the surgery and various medical tests was very hard for me. I struggled. I felt powerless. But even in the midst of that, the truth was that I still had/have power. Power to ask questions. Power to cry. Power to decide to not get chemo. Power to explicitly tell people that I didn't want to hear the story of someone they knew who got chemo when she had a different kind/stage of cancer and why they thought I should get it. Power to ask for prayer.
And also, I have the power to run. I began to run again in November of 2008, four months after my surgery. I worked back up to a mile. The most I had ever done was a 10K, and that was before my second pregnancy (I started running to have a healthier pregnancy with my first, back in 2004. I literally could not run a block at first). Back to the story: after a couple of weeks I ran up what I now call my "Cancer Hill," and after a good long shout of victory at the top, I ran back down, weeping and shouting out my gratitude to God for saving my life. I have the power to celebrate, too.I share all this because I hope reading this story gives someone a renewed sense of their own power, that no matter where we are or how boxed-in we feel...we do have power. and choice. And I know that if I can run - you can, too.
I write this to remind myself, but also others, that we have more freedom than we sometimes realize. I'd love to hear your thoughts/stories about finding your power.
The summer of 2002, I was riding alone on a train to Bern, Switzerland, on a mission to replace a lost passport. I was just recently engaged at the age of 28, in a job I loved but in a highly chaotic and tense atmosphere. I had just finished a graduate level English course on Postmodern Literature to try to figure out if I wanted to go back for a graduate degree in English. I sat on the train finishing Mrs. Dalloway, when a light came on in my heart, my head, and my soul all at once. The book Mrs. Dalloway is about many things, but what stood out to me at that moment was how her day, her life, was a series of choices - but from what I remember, she didn't seem to be realizing that or owning that. It suddenly came upon me like a wave that I had the power to choose. Maybe this sounds obvious, but as someone who had grown up trying so hard to please people and do the right thing, I didn't really truly know I had this power. The power to choose how I react in thought, emotion, or action. The power to choose how I will proceed. The power to say that I need time to think things over. The power to say no, or to say yes. No matter what the circumstance, this was still my power.
Cancer, on the other hand, threw me for a loop. Even though my primary physician recommended I not get chemo, having to undergo the surgery and various medical tests was very hard for me. I struggled. I felt powerless. But even in the midst of that, the truth was that I still had/have power. Power to ask questions. Power to cry. Power to decide to not get chemo. Power to explicitly tell people that I didn't want to hear the story of someone they knew who got chemo when she had a different kind/stage of cancer and why they thought I should get it. Power to ask for prayer.
And also, I have the power to run. I began to run again in November of 2008, four months after my surgery. I worked back up to a mile. The most I had ever done was a 10K, and that was before my second pregnancy (I started running to have a healthier pregnancy with my first, back in 2004. I literally could not run a block at first). Back to the story: after a couple of weeks I ran up what I now call my "Cancer Hill," and after a good long shout of victory at the top, I ran back down, weeping and shouting out my gratitude to God for saving my life. I have the power to celebrate, too.I share all this because I hope reading this story gives someone a renewed sense of their own power, that no matter where we are or how boxed-in we feel...we do have power. and choice. And I know that if I can run - you can, too.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Mondo Beyondo = Dreaming BIG and Living those Dreams
I am thrilled to announce that I get to participate in Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen's 5-week online Mondo Beyondo course!!!
Now that our kids are both past the diaper stage and I'm about to turn 35 on August 30th, I've been feeling more acutely the desire to make my dream to be a children's book author and illustrator a reality. I'm not as sleep deprived (varies, of course :) ) as in the early days, I am managing life better in terms of physical health, and I feel ready to devote some time to this dream and trying to balance that with being a wife, mom, and friend.
From what I understand, and you can read more here (http://www.mondobeyondo.org/index.html), the Mondo Beyondo idea is that you verbalize your biggest dream - like something so fantastic or wonderful that you really doubt it could ever happen - and then this course helps you take steps towards living that dream. There are several things that excite me about getting to partake:
1. I've been following Andrea Scher's blog for about four years now (it's one of about five that I check daily), admire her a ton, and have always wanted to be in her sphere somehow. I am somewhat unfamiliar with Jen Lemen and her work, but have a lot of respect for her based on what I know of her passion for people of the world, for justice, and for hope. They are also both moms, which is SO helpful as I am really wanting to prioritize my family and also wanting to live out my creative dreams; I'm looking forward to their input on the artist-mom experience.
2. I love being in on the grass-roots beginning of something creative and being part of this inaugural Mondo Beyondo group is particularly exciting. Andrea and Jen seem to be such natural gatherers of creative and inspiring people, and now I get to jump in the pool with them instead of watching from the bleachers, so to speak!
3. Having the money to pay for this course is a story in itself. We absolutely did not have it. Suddenly I was contacted by someone here at the university where I work regarding using our car for emissions testing (something I had volunteered our car for back in the Fall last year, but hadn't heard back about), and we will be given a stipend of $300/per week for two weeks (& prorated if it goes into three weeks)! Not only does this help make up for not having a paying housemate for a couple of months, it makes it possible for me to participate in Mondo Beyondo!!! They want the car starting this Monday, the exact date that MB starts!
I'm sure I will have lots to do, so we'll see how often I post here, but I'll keep track of my progress and accomplishments and post when possible.
Off I go into the Beyondo!!!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Attitude Counts...For a Lot!
I was inspired by Jenny at Little Jenny Wren (see sidebar) to check out the book The Art of Homemaking by Daryl Hoole. I personally am not Mormon, but I have had the impression that the Mormon families I have known/been acquainted with seemed to have very smoothly running households...and I wanted their secret! Well, I think Daryl Hoole is the happy Mormon homemaker's secret. No joke! I have checked out the 1967 (ish) version of the book, so sometimes it can feel a bit idealistic (you know, illustrations of mothers with perfectly coiffed hair, holding freshly baked cupcakes on a plate in hand with a sparkling kitchen in the backgound). Although Ms. Hoole is clear that there is the "Ideal Homemaker" that she feels is attainable, I feel it is important to simply glean what good tips I can and not overwhelm myself with trying to be someone I simply am not. My hair just doesn't hold the curl like that, my oven is unpredictable, and a sparkling, clutter-free kitchen counter lasts about 5 minutes or less in our house.
All that said, Ms. Hoole's first observations have been wonderful helps to me today, and I think that she very well may actually influence me in the direction of enjoying housework (yes, shocking, especially for me!)! She recounts a story of Christopher Wren, the famous architect of buildings such as Westminster Abby, going to the building site and asking three men, "What are you doing?" The first said, "I am cutting stone." The second said, "I am building for Christopher Wren." The third said, "I am building for God." Her point, as I understood it, is that when we lose sight of the greater vision of why we do what we do in our homes, of course it feels like drudgery, of course it feels boring or even meaningless. But, seen with different eyes, the work itself can be an entirely different experience, and not simply an end in and of itself.
Secondly, Ms. Hoole observes that the ideal homemaker understands that how she feels emotionally impacts how she feels physically. So true! I often operate the other way around - I wait for the physical energy first, then tackle the to-do list. But this morning, I got up at 5 a.m. and just couldn't get back to sleep, so I read and really relished Psalm 65, worship danced until the kids woke up, and proceeded to do the following all before 10 a.m.:
- washed dishes
- made all the beds
- made breakfast for me and kids (actually sat down to eat it instead of standing at the counter like I sometimes do as if that will save me time)
- brewed tea for Dave
- watered plants
- played with cars and blocks with kids for about an hour
- put a load of laundry in the washer and then dryer (too cold a day for outside, believe it or not!)
- folded two loads of laundry and put it away
- straightened up the kids' room (forgotten books and clothes)
- cleared up our patio clutter
- swept up gardening clippings
- cleared off and wiped down the kitchen counters
- hung up Norah's latest art project
- cooked lasagna noodles for dinner tomorrow (will make ahead tonight)
- set up Norah for a little stamping time ($3 box of stamps from Salvation Army + $1 stamp pad = happy little girl!)
The three of us then went to the library and to the grocery store - home by 12:10, lunch for all three of us by 12:30, and I got to work ON TIME!!!!
I am amazed. I'm expecting to crash into bed tonight, but dang, I'm excited about all I've been able to do in such a happy way, not feeling pressured or overwhelmed, but just worshipful all day long so far! I really never thought I'd be a morning quiet time person, but I think this is worth a shot! I'll keep you posted (pun intended!). :)
I was inspired by Jenny at Little Jenny Wren (see sidebar) to check out the book The Art of Homemaking by Daryl Hoole. I personally am not Mormon, but I have had the impression that the Mormon families I have known/been acquainted with seemed to have very smoothly running households...and I wanted their secret! Well, I think Daryl Hoole is the happy Mormon homemaker's secret. No joke! I have checked out the 1967 (ish) version of the book, so sometimes it can feel a bit idealistic (you know, illustrations of mothers with perfectly coiffed hair, holding freshly baked cupcakes on a plate in hand with a sparkling kitchen in the backgound). Although Ms. Hoole is clear that there is the "Ideal Homemaker" that she feels is attainable, I feel it is important to simply glean what good tips I can and not overwhelm myself with trying to be someone I simply am not. My hair just doesn't hold the curl like that, my oven is unpredictable, and a sparkling, clutter-free kitchen counter lasts about 5 minutes or less in our house.
All that said, Ms. Hoole's first observations have been wonderful helps to me today, and I think that she very well may actually influence me in the direction of enjoying housework (yes, shocking, especially for me!)! She recounts a story of Christopher Wren, the famous architect of buildings such as Westminster Abby, going to the building site and asking three men, "What are you doing?" The first said, "I am cutting stone." The second said, "I am building for Christopher Wren." The third said, "I am building for God." Her point, as I understood it, is that when we lose sight of the greater vision of why we do what we do in our homes, of course it feels like drudgery, of course it feels boring or even meaningless. But, seen with different eyes, the work itself can be an entirely different experience, and not simply an end in and of itself.
Secondly, Ms. Hoole observes that the ideal homemaker understands that how she feels emotionally impacts how she feels physically. So true! I often operate the other way around - I wait for the physical energy first, then tackle the to-do list. But this morning, I got up at 5 a.m. and just couldn't get back to sleep, so I read and really relished Psalm 65, worship danced until the kids woke up, and proceeded to do the following all before 10 a.m.:
- washed dishes
- made all the beds
- made breakfast for me and kids (actually sat down to eat it instead of standing at the counter like I sometimes do as if that will save me time)
- brewed tea for Dave
- watered plants
- played with cars and blocks with kids for about an hour
- put a load of laundry in the washer and then dryer (too cold a day for outside, believe it or not!)
- folded two loads of laundry and put it away
- straightened up the kids' room (forgotten books and clothes)
- cleared up our patio clutter
- swept up gardening clippings
- cleared off and wiped down the kitchen counters
- hung up Norah's latest art project
- cooked lasagna noodles for dinner tomorrow (will make ahead tonight)
- set up Norah for a little stamping time ($3 box of stamps from Salvation Army + $1 stamp pad = happy little girl!)
The three of us then went to the library and to the grocery store - home by 12:10, lunch for all three of us by 12:30, and I got to work ON TIME!!!!
I am amazed. I'm expecting to crash into bed tonight, but dang, I'm excited about all I've been able to do in such a happy way, not feeling pressured or overwhelmed, but just worshipful all day long so far! I really never thought I'd be a morning quiet time person, but I think this is worth a shot! I'll keep you posted (pun intended!). :)
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