Smile List

Here are a few of the things that are making me smile today (complete with some pictures!):

• coconut scented oil in my oil burner (loving that my bedroom smells like the tropics right now)
• A newly redesigned and decorated journal, ready for use (front and back covers)
• Brand new pens for writing in the aforementioned journal
• A beautiful bouquet of red roses, sitting on my dressing stand
• Freshly washed sheets and a nicely made bed
• A beautiful crisp white blouse, just bohemian enough to make me really happy, and just dressy enough to work perfectly for nearly any occasion
• Peanut M&M's to accompany a creative spree
• Plans to clean my bedroom
  

The boring stuff of life

I'm sure you don't care about what I'm going to tell you next, but it's making me happy, so I'm going to share anyway.

It's the boring stuff of life. I like the boring stuff of life. I like rhythm, and routine. I'm all for spontanaeity too, but contrary to so many, I definitely prefer life to be calm and settled. The emotional stuff to be as even as possible (just as a note, even emotions are not something I excel at, just something I prefer.)

So, I'm telling you that it's making me happy to be sitting at my kitchen table, eating a late lunch.

It's making me happy that it's sunny, and that I accomplished a bunch of errands this morning.

And it's making me happy that I'm staring at a tall glass of water, which is next to a plate containing the following for my lunching pleasure:

• several slices of the salami I bought last week at the farmer's market
• a slice of toast (sunflower flax seed bread) with hummus on it
• several slices of smoked gouda
• a kiwi fruit

Sometimes I need days that are about the boring stuff of life. This is definitely one of them.

I'm going to lunch, and then work on a creative project, and then clean. Embracing newness and all of that!

In the spirit of new things...

I'm going to buy a new journal today. Or pull a blank one that's sitting empty on my shelf out, and doctor it until the cover isn't just plain black (I need some color and life) and start writing in that one.

I've been thinking about this all week. Trying to decide what I was going to do about the journal situation.

I started one at the beginning of December. A lovely blue one that fit all my general specifications for the "perfect journal". I kind of have a thing about totally filling one journal before I start a new one. But here's the deal. The advent and months following that are in the blue one have filled less than a third of the journal. But they were really hard, and the things contained in the journal are also hard, and every time I stop and think "I should journal that" I realize that it's just too hard to open the book and start writing there.

So the part of me that says I just can't waste two thirds of a "perfect journal" is rebelling.

But the part of me that needs new things, that needs color and joy and life needs someplace to process the things I'm thinking about these days. The questions I'm wrestling with. The scriptures I'm caught by. And I need that place to not be one that is totally marked by the incredibly painful things of the last five months.

So, in the spirit of new things, I'm going to set the old journal aside, and buy or decorate a new one.

I'm also going to wash the sheets on my bed, and deep clean some parts of my space. And I'm going for my first facial ever today.

New things.

Needing to choose joy, and life and hope and peace.

Newness

I am a big fan of newness these days.

Fresh starts.

New life.

I know I've mentioned it here before, but one of my favorite quotes is a classic line from Anne of Green Gables that goes something to the effect of , "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet." That is a really hopeful sentiment to me these days.

I'm waiting eagerly for spring and all of the newness it represents as well. Yesterday was the first day in a week or so where no snow fell. (I'm not counting those few little flakes that were mixed with rain as my roommate and I headed into the grocery store.)

It's a new month today. I like new months. Blank calendars and the space for fresh things.

I've been thinking a lot about the question Jesus posed to the man at pool of Bethesda, "Do you want to be well?" There's a lot having to do with newness in that question too. In fact, that question probably deserves it's own post at some future date.

But for today, I'm just going to celebrate newness.

And the fact that it's Friday.

Friday's are also good, for a number of reasons, including evenings of having the house to myself, spent in generally luxurious pasttimes such as facial masks, long baths, and episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Friday's are also good because they're "jeans day" at work. I like jeans day.

And on this Friday, I'm wearing a favorite top and earrings, purchased from the Tibetan store downtown, with my jeans. And flip-flops, even though it's theoretically too cold. Because I felt like wearing flip-flops, and because my toenails match my Tibetan top and earrings!

Celebrating newness.

Choosing life and joy today wherever I can.

Short Form

I'm all about newness this morning - thoughts on that are still coming here sometime today.

But for the moment, this quote appeared yesterday on the calendar that sits on my desk, full of "Wisdom from Women Saints". The calendar that's been kicking my butt on a regular basis since a friend gave it to me a little while back.

This quote didn't catch at me so much yesterday, but it caught my attention when I glanced at it this morning, getting ready to flip the page to the new day and month. An admirable goal. I think I'd like to live a life full of days like these:

"We should make each day a short form of our whole life by filling it with prayer, work, and charity." (Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur)