- The little moments I listed in a smile list this morning, simple moments of beauty taking the train
- Smiles and greetings at the house church I'm slowly becoming part of tonight. It was nice to be welcomed
- leftover pasta for lunch... one of my favorite meals
- managing to drive safely to and from the house church meeting tonight on somewhat icy roads
- chatting with one of the girls at the house church that I'd like to get to know a bit more... it was good to have a few minutes to chat with her...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Daily 5 - Day 120
Today's Daily 5:
Quoting on Change
I received the following quote in an email this morning and found myself quite struck by it.
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." (Victor Frankl)
A good thought, no?
Though I admit to still mostly holding a dislike for change, both in situation and in myself, I think I am getting better at this. I think that desired changes are slowly happening within me, and for that, I'm grateful.
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." (Victor Frankl)
A good thought, no?
Though I admit to still mostly holding a dislike for change, both in situation and in myself, I think I am getting better at this. I think that desired changes are slowly happening within me, and for that, I'm grateful.
Thursday Rhythms
I have a general like of Thursdays.
I'm not sure why, exactly, other than perhaps, in the general rhythm of my life, Thursdays tend to be positive days. If Wednesdays are the day when I struggle the most with sadness, with energy, with the general weight of the world, than Thursdays are the breath of fresh air and newness. The day that comes with the sense of relief that another weekend is now well and truly near, that another week has nearly been conquered (not that I particularly think about conquering my weeks, but, right now, for me there is a certain sense of accomplishment in each week that ends without major collapse or calamity.)
The rhythms at work on Thursdays are nice too. There are tasks that I like that get done on Thursdays.
Watering the plants is one of those. I have one plant in my house, that I continually forget to water, so it's constantly in a state of disarray. At the office, however, I am responsible for probably about a dozen plants, and they are thriving. On Thursdays I spend 20 mintues or so watering and plucking and generally loving on those plants.
As I'm sitting here this morning, I'm smiling. An odd thing for me, especially given that the window next to me tells me that the snow is still falling, it's still windy and cold.
I took the train this morning. It would seem that that was a good decision, given what I'm hearing from other staff members about the state of the roads.
It felt like a good decision to me as I was doing it. While I'm generally not a fan of public transit in Calgary, right now I'm even less of a fan of the high stress that winter driving creates in me. On transit, if my commute takes an hour and a half, I can be reading a book, and not having to worry about the icy roads.
And so, I have a very brief smile list to start this day, comprised of little moments of beauty that I noticed as I walked and took the bus and train this morning:
I'm not sure why, exactly, other than perhaps, in the general rhythm of my life, Thursdays tend to be positive days. If Wednesdays are the day when I struggle the most with sadness, with energy, with the general weight of the world, than Thursdays are the breath of fresh air and newness. The day that comes with the sense of relief that another weekend is now well and truly near, that another week has nearly been conquered (not that I particularly think about conquering my weeks, but, right now, for me there is a certain sense of accomplishment in each week that ends without major collapse or calamity.)
The rhythms at work on Thursdays are nice too. There are tasks that I like that get done on Thursdays.
Watering the plants is one of those. I have one plant in my house, that I continually forget to water, so it's constantly in a state of disarray. At the office, however, I am responsible for probably about a dozen plants, and they are thriving. On Thursdays I spend 20 mintues or so watering and plucking and generally loving on those plants.
As I'm sitting here this morning, I'm smiling. An odd thing for me, especially given that the window next to me tells me that the snow is still falling, it's still windy and cold.
I took the train this morning. It would seem that that was a good decision, given what I'm hearing from other staff members about the state of the roads.
It felt like a good decision to me as I was doing it. While I'm generally not a fan of public transit in Calgary, right now I'm even less of a fan of the high stress that winter driving creates in me. On transit, if my commute takes an hour and a half, I can be reading a book, and not having to worry about the icy roads.
And so, I have a very brief smile list to start this day, comprised of little moments of beauty that I noticed as I walked and took the bus and train this morning:
- I loved the reflection of lights on all the snow... soft colorful glow from neon signs... in one spot I walked through, the whole world was pink, and it was lovely.
- I loved having the chance to sit and focus on some stories in the book I'm reading. The nights this week have been full, and I haven't had the time to sit down with this book and really enjoy it. This morning on the train I managed to read two chapters and really savor them.
- I liked that I got some exercise walking to the bus stop, and then walking from the train to my office. It's not a day that I had exercise scheduled for, but I felt good getting a bit of walking in this morning.
- It took me the same approximate amount of time to take the bus and train and walk this morning as it usually does to drive, and I was grateful for that as well.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Daily 5 - Day 119
Today's Daily "5":
- Making it home safely in very snowy weather. It took an hour and a half, but I was really just so grateful to have made it home in one piece and without any problems. (I think I'm going to take the train tomorrow... never thought I'd voluntarily do that!)
- I'm pleased that even after a frustrating drive home, I found the motivation to follow through on a commitment to myself to really fight for my health, and to still do the yoga workout I had planned. That is a change in me that I would never have predicted - voluntarily exercising.
- I'm thankful that in the midst of really dark days, there is hope.
- I'm thankful for seasons like Advent and Lent that remind me what it is to really and truly long for the Light to Come.
- Someone told me today that I seem "cheerier" and "more myself" the last month or so. That was really encouraging, particularly on a day when I was really struggling with sadness.
- I'm thankful that I had a bit of quiet time to myself tonight before my roommate got home with a friend in tow.
- I'm thankful for mango rooibos tea, and a couple of the cookies I baked on the weekend.
- I'm thankful for the smile that came when a friend was teasing me about my plans to take the train tomorrow, reminding me of all the "adventures" I have collected over the years on the train.
- I'm thankful that I can catch up on all the episodes from my favorite television shows online
- I'm thankful for the little things (email from a friend, phone call from a family member, chats with a coworker) that remind me that I am loved and not alone.
- (BONUS ITEM!!) I'm thankful for an ipod, which makes driving for an hour and a half to travel 15 kilometers a much more bearable undertaking. Tonight I listened to one sermon, and one and a half interviews with some of my favorite authors/speakers. It was good times, despite the nasty roads and the slighly frozen windshield wipers that made seeing out the front window a bit challenging!
Point of Tears
I'm tired today.
I've had less of the truly sleepless nights lately, and I sometimes forget what that does to my emotional coping abilities.
And in some ways I'm grieving. Relationships that have changed or ended, but other things too. Seems for the last few months, at least once a week or so, I've gotten terribly bad news from various people I care about. Terminal illnesses and death and other very sad situations.
And today some of those weigh heavy, and I am praying, and near the point of tears.
This post at The Ragamuffin Diva encouraged me this morning. "Rest. Get up. Rest Again. Get up again." That seems manageable today. Sort of at least.
I've had less of the truly sleepless nights lately, and I sometimes forget what that does to my emotional coping abilities.
And in some ways I'm grieving. Relationships that have changed or ended, but other things too. Seems for the last few months, at least once a week or so, I've gotten terribly bad news from various people I care about. Terminal illnesses and death and other very sad situations.
And today some of those weigh heavy, and I am praying, and near the point of tears.
This post at The Ragamuffin Diva encouraged me this morning. "Rest. Get up. Rest Again. Get up again." That seems manageable today. Sort of at least.
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