Daily 5 - Year 2, Day 74

Today's Daily 5:

1. Getting in and out of an early morning downtown appointment quickly and easily
2. the new experience of being inside the American consulate here in Calgary
3. staying at mom and dad's, meaning that when a second unplanned trip downtown became necessary, it wasn't a several hours long endeavour.
4. eating leftovers from the lunch a friend treated me to yesterday for lunch today
5. nachos as a snack at house church
6. playing with baby M.
7. great discussion, and seeing the house church group really come together and get interested as we've embarked on a new study together
8. a long hot shower on a cold day, knowing no one is timing it, no one is worried about the water bill, and I could just stand there until I really relaxed
9. a hot mug of tea
10. listening to a sermon on the bus.

How You Doin'?

I watched a re-run of Friends yesterday, an old episode where Joey is coaching Rachel on how to ask a member of the opposite sex for a date.  His advice was something along the lines of "I just look a girl up and down and go 'How you doin'?'"

I laughed at it yesterday and thought of it today when a friend sent an email asking how I was.

I replied honestly that it has been a "mostly okay" day.

A few minutes after I replied I got a phone call that heightened an uncertainty, a "don't borrow trouble" moment that I'd been working hard to set aside.

And it reminded that this is my reality too.

That right now, even the good, or "mostly okay" days, have the potential to become unbalanced in moments.

I preface any conversation that has even the potential to be emotional (positively or not so much) these days with "Everything makes me cry right now, just ignore the tears."

I've discovered that when that downward swing hits, sometimes it lasts and sometimes I can corral it back into submission.

I've learned that exercising just as that swing hits can sometimes lead to successful corralling of it.  It just means I have to push through the onslaught of the downward swinging mood, and the fact that I hate to exercise.  Even yoga.  I rarely regret the exercise once I've done it, but I wouldn't ever say I enjoyed it (unless we're talking about say, a day walking all over a zoo, or a theme park, or the city with friends).

And I'm learning to trust that this weird emotional place I'm existing in won't last forever.  That as I heal and piece my life together again, it will pass.  And in the meantime, don't mind me - everything makes me cry these days!

Daily 5 - Year 2, Day 73

Today's Daily 5:

1. Magic bags - I don't know who invented these, but they're brilliant, especially when you're cold and not feeling well
2. starting the day with a fruit smoothie and pumpkin muffin
3. the arrival by mail of a book I'd ordered and been expecting
4. an emailed photo from a friend that really did make me laugh out loud
5. lunch and errands with an old friend
6. some potentially good news in a phone call
7. lots of time just vegging, working on my laptop and watching television
8. tea
9. getting a bit of reading done
10. a warm, comfy bed, with freshly washed sheets to crawl in to at the end of the night
11. the way 10 minutes of yoga actually managed to help shift a panicky mood 
12. an unexpected phone call with good timing that meant I got to hear a friend's voice

Indoor Plans for a Grey Day

40 minutes ago I relocated from bed to the armchair in mom and dad's living room.

An hour before that, I said goodbye to mom and dad and settled in to enjoy a week of time alone, and away from Grandma's house.

I'm sitting here, in the recliner, watching an old episode of M*A*S*H* that happened to be on television, while I catch up on some emails and blog reading.

A bit later I need to fill out some forms for my appointment at the American consulate tomorrow morning.

I've got a mug of pomegranate green tea, and just finished eating a pumpkin muffin.

In a couple of hours, a friend is picking me up here, and we're going out for lunch.

It's a grey day again, snow threatening to fall, and some sitting on the ground.

I plan to spend it curled up indoors.

A book I've been expecting arrived, and I'm planning to settle in with it.

I started a novel yesterday.

And I have a chapter of the book my house church is reading together to conquer.

I came down with a sore throat yesterday, and a stuffy head feeling that tells me I'm once again battling a cold.

Curled up with a book or books and tea and blankets seems the best way to conquer this day.

Barring lunch with my friend, of course.

Days like this, where grey can be ignored, or muted with books and tea and long, hot baths are the sort I like.  If it's going to be grey, I like it when there are comforting indoor options.

Scandal Proof Your Church

Jonathan Acuff from Stuff Christians Like wrote this article on scandal proofing a church for the CNN belief blog.  Definitely worth reading.  And I'm not just saying that because he talks about pastor's kids and I am one!