Weekend List

I don't usually post on Saturdays, but today I felt the need to make a list.  This is the only weekend for the next three weeks or so when I don't have either wedding or baby related events to attend, and I'm taking advantage of it with errands, built in rest time, and trying to get just a bit ahead of the game on the homework front.  And so I'm making a list of things that I need to do today and tomorrow.  Not the exhaustive list that is in the app and website that I use for keeping my to do lists (and life) organized, but the list that reminds me of the priorities.  The one that is public and adds that funny level of accountability.  And so, without further ado, my weekend list:

• take bottles to the depot for refund
• work for mom for a few hours (thankful for parents who will "hire" me)
• grocery shopping
• bake banana muffins
• book a rental car for next week's clinical
• tackle homework
• catch up on a couple weeks worth of blog reading
• work on next week's blog posts
• deal with some banking requirements
• work on writing a personal biography
• tackle a few outstanding emails
• time for rest and creativity
• a little bit of brainless entertainment

Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 277

Today's Daily 5:

1. blueberry white chocolate scone
2. green tea
3. taking the train and chatting with a friend
4. trading some emails that brought a smile
5. a job interview that left me grinning
6. seeing positive attributes through someone else's eyes
7. a quiet evening at home alone
8. fresh mango and strawberries
9. feeling comfortable in my skin
10. iphone games

Friday Reflections, May 25, 2012

Today's Friday Reflection is again from Henri Nouwen, and builds nicely on the thoughts that I shared yesterday about feeling creatively and personally dry and stuck.  I'm hoping to carve out time in Scripture and other spiritual books this weekend that will let the Incarnation birth in a fresh way in me again.


To Let the Word Become Flesh 


Spiritual reading is food for our souls.  As we slowly let the words of the Bible or any spiritual book enter into our minds and descend into our hearts, we become different people.  The Word gradually becomes flesh in us and thus transforms our whole beings.  Thus spiritual reading is a continuing incarnation of the divine Word within us.  In and through Jesus, the Christ, God became flesh long ago.  In and through our reading of God's Word and our reflection on it, God becomes flesh in us now and thus makes us into living Christs for today.


Let's keep reading God's Word with love and great reverence.

Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 276

Today's Daily 5:

1. a decent night of sleep
2. the smell of rain
3. laughing as I watched a pair of geese stroll down a university sidewalk, out for a walk in the rain
4. a class activity surrounding commendations, and reflecting on some that I received
5. lots and lots of baby cuddles from one of my honorary nephews, and great conversation as I hung out with his mom before house church tonight

Hunting for Rhythm

I'm writing this post in class on Wednesday afternoon, and it's going to be all kinds of random.

I've put off my usual pre-write of Thursday's post as I try to figure out what on earth it is that I'm going to talk about.

Truth is, my creativity wells are running just a little bit dry.  Actually a lot dry.

I'm buried in the state of "adapting back to school is overwhelming".  I've been reading hundreds and hundreds of pages of information about things like family nursing assessment, fetal development, congenital anomalies and circular pattern diagrams.  Some of it it is interesting, a lot of it is slogging.

Add to that some ongoing therapy homework, the need for social interactions, and taking time to send out resumes and try to find work to alleviate some financial stresses, and I just haven't had much time to fill my personal creativity tanks. Entertainment has been less in the stimulating category and more in the mindless category (hello Bachelorette!).

I keep telling myself I'll find the time for personal development and creativity, but the truth is that that might be the thing that slides a little bit until my next semester break in August.  I'm hoping that won't be the case, but I'm recognizing that it might be possible.  It might also be possible that this is just an adjustment phase as the variances of a disorganized program and a brand new semester get sorted out.  It might be that the days are an hour longer this semester and I don't have a full day off in my week.

I'm trying to figure out a new rhythm, and I'm definitely in the trial and error phase.  Every time I hit this phase, I hope it will be shorter than the previous time.  It rarely is.

So my creativity is dry, and that's what I'm here telling you about.  I was so desperate for a topic that I asked the classmate sitting next to me for ideas.  She suggested spring flowers, or the Diamond Jubilee (can you tell that Canada still has strong ties to Britain? I didn't even have to wonder what the diamond jubilee was, I just knew!)  I'm not writing about spring flowers or the diamond jubilee, but that means that I do have to tell you that my inspiration is so dry that I'm soliciting ideas from a classmate, who is pulling ideas from the newspaper she read during class today.

Wish me luck as I move towards finding rhythm and inspiration again!