Stunted

Folks, it's Monday, one of two days a week where I don't have previously scheduled series on this here blog.  One of the days where I usually try to write a nice long essay about things I've been pondering, or feeling, or experiencing.  But I'm pretty sure that barring some unforeseen miracle, that isn't going to happen in this space today.  I'm hoping to be back on Thursday with another instalment in the ongoing discussion about food and body and spirit, but I just don't have that in me today.

My brain feels stunted at the moment.

Group work at school has stepped up in volume and intensity as the end of the semester approaches and brings deadlines galor, and with the increase of work I feel my internal muse slowly grinding to a halt.  Remember the introvert video from Thursday?  Well, I've been spending somewhere between 20 and 25 hours a week doing intensive group work for the last ten weeks, and the wear on my poor introverted self is starting to show!

Life has been busy on the personal side too.  I've been puttering for hours every weekend at the house my brother and his wife purchased a little while ago, helping with anything from gutting some of the rooms to painting and even assembling kitchen cabinets.  I've been having fun doing it, too, spending this time with family, and working with my hands.  In the evenings I've been scurrying around trying to see a few friends, stay (sort of) on top of emails and blog reading, and keep up with the people I love who live far away.  I've continued to teach at house church, too, as we've made the leap into studying the book of Romans together.  Looking into the week ahead, there is more of the same on my schedule.

None of these things are bad.  (Actually, I take that back, adding more group work isn't something I'd class as good!)  But the combination of all of them means that the delicate balance of silence, stillness, and time alone that I rely on to keep my muse running at full capacity simply has not existed in recent weeks.

And so I don't have much to say today.  My muse feels just a bit stunted, and seems to have gone into hibernation, waiting for me to rework my schedule and/or reach the semester's end and settle into a space of rest again.  I'm hoping to carve out a bit of silence today, amidst two coffee dates with friends that always speak to the deeper parts of my spirit.  A bit of silence and soul-stirring conversation might be just what I need today.  I sure hope so, anyway!