And the Reading of Inspiring Books

Home sick. The kind of sick where what I'm supposed to do is sleep, sleep, sleep, and maybe do some light lounging around, reading fluff magazines. Only I don't like sleeping during the day. And I don't like reading fluff. So I've taken my morning nap and am now lounging around reading somewhat more substantive matter, just not in any focused way.

The last few weeks have been mostly study, personal study and reflection (Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck and The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor by Mark Labberton). Nothing I can really write about here, I'm nowhere near coming to any conclusions or particular actions. Just moving in that way, which is enough.

And then reading inspiring books, mostly memoirs, sort of a collection of modern-day "Lives of the Saints." Three Cups of Tea (though I've also downloaded the Jon Krakauer expose on Greg Mortenson and will get to that soon*), Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (about Dr. Paul Farmer), The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day, Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn, Take This Bread by Sara Miles. And then, because I don't only read non-fiction, the marvelous (though difficult) The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

Feeling sleepy... I may just lie down on the couch and see what happens... no pressure...

*Note added 4/20: Wow! Just finished reading the Krakauer piece and it's clear that there are a lot of problems with how Greg Mortensen portrays himself in his books (and public appearances) --- not so inspiring anymore, more disappointing. Boo-hoo.

How to Steal Like / Live Like / BE an Artist

Great essay here: "How to Steal Like an Artist." And not just for artisty folks, either. I think it's for anyone who sees themselves as actively creating their own life.

Thanks, Austin!

Workshop in Progress - April 6

Well, the woman who was hosting the online quilting group "Workshop in Progress" had to take a break for a while (my prayers for you and your family, Cheryl), and I hadn't been posting for a while on it even before that. But I've finally finished one project - whew! - and thought I'd share it here.

So finally, The Dude's amp cover.

All made from old pairs of pants, even the edging.

And in its natural habitat.

Had a sticky moment close to the end of the project when I realized that it only just fit and could end up being difficult to take on and off, not so good for the end of a long rock-and-beer-fueled night. But once I put the final edging on it that was less of a problem.

Here is also one of my Christmas projects --- I could only share it now because the last one only got mailed out today. (No, not because I hadn't finished, just, you know, because.) These are made out of felt and are approximately six inches long, in a variety of colors.

 
  

Then I also finished another of my card projects, but I can't show that until they are all written and sent, which may be another week (or two) or so.

I'm mending a pair of Buddy's trousers at the moment, but once that's done I should be able to go back to working on my small quilt, which, after a six or more week hiatus, I'm very eager to do. Even though I'm still one Christmas present past due...

Oh Yeah! (More Self-Care Ideas)

How could I forget to mention listening to as much Michael Franti as humanly possible?

"Hey hey hey
No matter how life is today
There's just one thing that I got to say
I won't let another moment slip away.
I hold on."
       --- "Hey Hey Hey," The Sound of Sunshine

On a Lighter Note

Here's a picture of my cute kid.

I love this picture because 1) he looks a lot like I did growing up, and usually I just see The Dude in him, not me, and because 2) he just looks so freaking confident. When I know that he was nearly out of his mind with excitement (not only are fire trucks one of his favorite things in the world but he also got to SIT in it). I am so very proud of him.

Plus I made yummy blueberry muffins this weekend. Still no progress on any of my sewing projects, though!

Nope, Not Going to Write About It

No, I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to write about what I've been studying the last few weeks* because it's just too sad. It's one thing to need to talk about this stuff for work, and still another if I end up finding a way to work on these issues through my own church, but this is my own personal blog where I write about fun things, like running and baking and my cute kid. Not things that make me angry, or that horrify me, or that make me mourn.

But what I can write about is what I am doing to try to sustain myself as I continue to study and try to figure out what actions I can/should take. And for me it comes back to a need to deepen my faith life. So going regularly to my church** and letting the liturgy and readings ready sink into me (I'm so grateful we have found a church that prioritizes outreach). Committing to a program of prayer and theological study during Lent. And finding ways to weave myself more thoroughly into our faith community, so that I'm never in danger of thinking that I'm alone.

And giving myself permission to be quiet, myself, and to seek out silence around me.

*Child sexual exploitation, global and domestic trafficking.
** Not where I work, which is a great place, but not the right place for me to attend.

No Race This Weekend

So, I'm not running the St. Paddy's 8K this weekend after all. I didn't feel like changing my workouts to get myself into racing form, and I don't have any emotional connection to this event that would make me want to do it as a fun run instead. I also didn't want to give over any part of a precious open weekend as next month will have some pretty intense ones. Plus, they had the UGLIEST SHIRT EVER.

Just not feeling it.

That's okay, I have some other truly fun runs in my sights, and I've been enjoying my running, though I probably won't be writing about it much for a while. I've been studying and reflecting on some serious matters for a few weeks and trying to figure out how to bring some of that here --- that will probably be my focus for a while. More questions than anything else, I imagine. Questions are good.