Pondering

I feel very unsettled these days, and I honestly couldn't tell you if that's a good thing or not.

The retreat over the weekend left more questions than answers in my heart as we ponder moving forward.  The part of me that hates change is cringing and wanting to cry at the prospects of the need for shifts to happen in my beloved little house church.  The part of me that loves God's heart, and being a part of the places where he's working?  Well, that part of me is excited.

And those two parts of me are pretty much warring over large areas of internal heart real estate these days.

I'm finding this life lived in limbo, waiting and praying to see what steps come next, to be a life that chafes.

And so, tonight, after work, I'm heading to mom and dad's to pick up my things from house-sitting last week and grab some dinner, and then I'm heading home.  Last week was good, but crazy full. And tonight I need just a bit of quiet and rest.  And I'm going to avail myself of that as much as I can this week.  Avail myself of it, and try to sit patiently, and gracefully and with trust in the midst of the chafing and the unsettledness.

Friday Plans and Ponderings

Crawling out of bed this morning was PAINFUL.  It has not been a great week for sleep, and I'm exhausted.

My big plans for this evening include putting on my pajamas as soon as I get home, grabbing some leftover pizza, and crawling back into bed to watch last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy and perhaps a few other shows.

I'm pondering some of the situations I find bizarre - things like people who spend money to put their pets in "daycare", and people who won't participate in things that save money.  The deals I find are like a badge of honor for me!  In fact, I'm basically done my Christmas shopping, and I did it all at essentially half-price.  I guess I'm pondering materialism in general lately.

I'm thinking about an answer to prayer.  And about all the prayers left unspoken or as yet unanswered.

But mostly I'm thinking about how lovely it will be to crawl into bed tonight, eat pizza, and watch Greys.

Monday, Monday...

I've never been one of those girls who hates Mondays.

If you've been reading here for a while, you know that when I was still working at the company that my roommates christened "the soap opera", I had Wednesdays, not Mondays.  For weeks at a time, it would seem like Wednesday was just the day when everything went wrong, and I was stressed, or feeling miserable, or people would be rude or out of sorts with me.

Because of that, I don't really dread Mondays the way some people do.

That said, last week I went into Monday feeling positive, and it ended up being a terribly hard day at work.  The worst day in the entire week.

So, as I write this on Sunday night, I just don't quite know what to expect from Monday.

I know it will end with a birthday party for my brother.  And that it will start at 5:30 am.  I know that I will have a frozen meal for lunch, and do some reading.

I know that it will be a Monday, and like every other day of the week, I will need to pray and trust, and choose joy and life.

Here goes...

End of Monday

It's still Monday.  Still not a long weekend.

When I wrote the post that went live this morning, I felt optimistic about the day ahead.

By the time the work day ended, I was working hard simply on not crying.

It was not a good day at work.

Tired and very stressed out coworkers, in an environment that is, well, less than positive at the best of times, doesn't make for an easy day.

So, here's hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Because tonight I quite simply feel discouraged.

(I've been trying to count blessings today... it's not been easy, but I've managed... back in a bit with the Daily 5.)

Here it Goes

I'll be on a bus by the time this post goes live this morning.

That's right, this admittedly night person has accepted a job that requires me to be in the office by 7:30, which means on a bus by before 6:30 am.

So, here it goes.  I'm starting this four month administrative position today, and then I'm heading out to grab some dinner, and catch a yoga class, before coming home to bed and starting this thing over again.

This being up so early thing will definitely take some adapting.  And restructuring my evening schedule, my routine, and engaging a level of personal discipline.  All things that will take time to adapt to. 

But, I'm delighted that I have a steady schedule and income for the next season.  And I'm actually so pleased that this comes at the end of a week in which I've actively engaged silence and rest.  This last week of rest and quiet was so needed as I head into a busier and fuller season again.

So, here it goes!  See you tonight with the Daily 5!

Monday, Monday

I arrived at work this morning with "Monday, Monday" by the Mamas and the Papas firmly entrenched in my brain.  As far as I know, I didn't hear it playing anywhere this morning, it was just that someone made some sort of "monday, monday!" reference in conversation, and that was all it took.  This is the hazard of being raised by a father who loved 1970's folk music.  I know quite a bit more music from my father's era than my own!

My plans for a quiet bus ride to work, listening to one of Anne Lamott's novels in audiobook form (as an aside, I'm loving this one, "Imperfect Birds"), were interrupted as soon as I boarded and spotted a gentleman who I knew was a new employee at the firm I'm temping for last week and this week.  As it turns out, today was his first day, and he'd never taken that particular bus route before.  If I'm honest, the last thing I really wanted to do on a Monday morning transit commute was spend it making small talk with a stranger, but I'm learning to be sensitive to situations and to God's promptings, and more so, to be willing to sacrifice my own insistence on "ME" for the sake of others.  So, we chatted for a while.  He's new to Calgary, so I told him a few little things about the city.  We talked about transit, and previous jobs a.  It wasn't so bad after all.

And, even as I think about that, I'm thinking about the fact that sitting at a reception desk on a Monday morning, I might be the first, or only smiling and welcoming face that someone sees today.  I don't always see it this way, but today that feels like a gift.  Like a chance to exist in my own skin, and love Jesus, and let his love for and joy in others exist in my smile, and in my conversations with people, and in the way I say hello to each person who crosses through my lobby.  And I can see each smile and greeting offered to me as a gift.

Like I said, I don't always feel that way.  I didn't feel that way even a couple of hours ago, when I woke too early from a very disturbing dream.  The introvert in me would rather not be the one to deal with people all day, the one who has to paste on a smile and be welcoming when what I really want is to just hide away.  But somehow, my day has shifted, and I'm choosing joy and peace.  I'm processing the dream, but choosing to not let it ruin my day.

It's nice to be in that space, to be able to choose that.  A gift really!

And hey, it's Monday!  Monday means I'll pick up take-out on my way home and head home to catch The Bachelorette live from the east coast online, enjoying a couple of hours of entertainment.  It means an evening of quietly enjoying myself, and doing things I love.  It's a little bit of sabbath for me.  And, as for that audio book, there's always the bus trip home.  I'll probably read the book book that I brought with me on my breaks today, sitting in the sun.  So, it's Monday, Monday, and that's okay with me.

Fridays

It's Friday!

I'm wearing jeans which makes just about everything better.

As per usual for me (at least half the time anyway), I'm wearing a scarf, too.  Today's scarf is a softly woven one from Nigeria, gifted to me from a friend.  Like so many of my scarves, it's a reminder of people and places, and often draws me to pray when I wear it.

Scarves are kind of a weakness of mine, the thing I can't resist when I find a beautiful one for a great price.  It's an addiction that is fed by the people who know and love me, and my collection of scarves spans items from at least 3 continents and at least six or seven countries, and I love each one of them and try to wear them often.  In fact, my addiction to scarves is so complete that I often purchase other items for my wardrobe (especially tops and sweaters) based on whether or not a scarf will look good with them!  My perfect outfit involves a pair of jeans (or maybe a skirt), a cute pair of shoes or sandals, a dressy casual top, a scarf, and a great pair of earrings.

I have plans to hang out with a dear friend and her daughter tonight, since her husband is away for the evening.  I'm quite looking forward to spending some time catching up, and hopefully praying with this friend.

I'm very much looking forward to the weekend, though this particular weekend holds a few challenges.

But other than those things, it's looking like it will be a quiet weekend, with some family time, and a lot of down time.  My major goal for tomorrow is to accomplish a couple of rather challenging personal projects, and to catch up on some sleep.

So, it's Friday!  It's Friday and despite the challenges I know are ahead, I'm feeling positive and happy.  I'm thankful for days like that.  So thankful for days like that.

Quickly

I have an incredibly full day.

I'm still at home, still in bed, but I've been up for hours.

I had a quiz to write online this morning, and it needed a lot of studying.

All the practice exercises were seeming to indicate that I was doing well.

They were definitely misleading.

I didn't do all that well, and that's frustrating.

And with that, I need to get out of bed, pack the stuff I need for the weekend, catch a bus, and head to school.

I'll be late.  I'll miss one class since I took the time for all that studying that didn't quite pay off.  But better one class than both, I guess.

After class I have an appointment.

And then, then?  Tonight I'm going to watch last night's episodes of some of my favorite television shows, online.

Either in bed, or in a bubble bath.  Because I've had the kind of week (and I'm expecting the kind of draining day) where crashing into bed or a hot bath with my favorite shows sounds just about perfect.

Especially since I can't go to yoga tomorrow morning, because I start work.

Crazy, that I didn't even have an interview on my calendar until mid-afternoon on Wednesday, and by Thursday afternoon I'd been hired, and by Saturday I'm starting a job.

Crazy.

My head is spinning just a little.

So, tonight, it's all about some brainless entertainment, in bed, or in a bubble bath.

Because that's just how I roll.

It's the best way I've discovered to unwind.

And I definitely need to unwind.

Catch you tonight for the daily 5!

Monday Again

It's Monday again, and after a very full last week and weekend, my brain is a little bit on overload and most definitely rambling.

I'm about half-way through my day of classes, time wise.  Two more classes to go for the day, but one is three hours long.

My first class on Monday mornings is a tutorial for an introductory class that has been making me just a little bit crazy.  Every week I show up for this tutorial, which is supposed to be an hour long, and make the (less than applicable) information presented in the lectures clear and applicable.  Unfortunately, the tutorial is an exercise in futility.  It almost never lasts more than 20 minutes of the allotted 60.  Today the main point the TA was trying to communicate was this:  Pop culture reflects ideas, and we are influenced by it differently than we are by academics.  Really?  Pop culture tries to influence us? 

I try very hard when sitting in that tutorial to not think about just how much tuition I paid for this kind of junior high social studies quality exercise.  I am greatly anticipating the moment when I get to fill out an evaluation of this course.  I've been looking forward to the chance to be explicit on just how poor the course really is for the whole semester.

So, I need to get through about 4 more hours of classes.  And then I have some catching up to do at home tonight - a bit of reading, a bit of writing, a bit of greek and latin review.  But tomorrow, tomorrow I'm taking the day off (except for one class I need to attend).  NO school work Tuesday!

Thankfully, as school goes, and even as personal commitments go, this week is less busy than the last several.  Not, by any means slack, but a bit less busy.    I need to start working on my last two term papers, but I have two weeks before they are due, and that is loads of time to produce what I hope will be high quality analysis of the topics and score me decent grades.  Witch-hunting in early modern Europe and the life of Ernesto "Che" Guevara.  How are those for diverse paper topics?  (I may have let nearly all of my term paper topics be inspired by movies this semester... Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and one of my favorite movies of all time, "The Motorcycle Diaries").

Also, on another entirely random train of thought, compared to the style manual that I usually use, APA style is ugly.  No justified margins, an indented paragraph first line. In text citations instead of nice clean footnotes.  It's ugly.  The one advantage as far as I can see is that you can use headings.  That at least means that you eliminate the challenge of smooth and flowing transitions.  After writing a paper in APA style over the weekend, I'm looking forward to going back to the Chicago style that I'm much more familiar with for the next two papers.

I'm looking forward to watching a couple of television shows online tonight while I do some of the catch-up on homework and cleaning and all the little tasks that I let slide to make it through the crazyness of last week.  That sort of vegging is so needed right now.  A little bit of television (the sort of reality television I favor - The Amazing Race and America's Next Great Restaurant).  And maybe a little bit of reclaiming control of some stuff that had to slide in favor or more urgent things the last week or two.  I can't wait!

Monday Morning

I've made it through one class so far.  One of four today.

I'm sitting in the spot I usually camp out for this one hour break - a hallway corner near the classroom for my next class.

I'm about to eat Vietnamese noodles.  Yes, it's only 10 am, but this is the only class break I have between 9 and 4 on Mondays, and I simply can't fit enough food and snacks into my bag to cover those hours.  And so, on Mondays I eat noodles as some sort of meal between breakfast and lunch.

This week is shaping up to be busy - less so on a school front for a change, and more so on a personal front.

I'll get to see some good friends this week, and meet the daughter of a good friend, born almost three months ago now.

I don't have anything particularly enthralling to say this morning.  I'm tired.  It was one of those nights where my good intentions of landing in bed early were a failure, and once I did manage to get to bed, I had trouble falling asleep.

So, this is the sort of day where I just get through it.

Three more classes (including one three hour marathon lecture).

Then back to mom and dad's to pick up my stuff from the weekend.

And then finally back to grandma's.

I'm going to watch some reality television online tonight.

Tackle some homework.

Do a bit of writing.

And then rest before starting the process again tomorrow.

Odd Day

This has been an odd sort of day, full of pondering, spinning thoughts, a few tears, and just general exhaustion.

Not bad, just odd for what has been normal lately.

I've spent a lot of time lost in thought, just generally feeling disconnected from what's happening around me, while sort of lost in my internal landscape.

I'm thinking about travel.

About the future.

I'm listening and praying and and waiting.

I've done some homework in the midst of that, and I have a bit more left to do.

I'm making lists and plans.

I like practical steps.

I'm thinking about things I've been reading and listening to.

And just at this moment?  I'm taking a break.

Since mom and dad are out for the evening, I'm taking advantage of the rare opportunity to watch The Amazing Race as it airs, instead of a day or two later.

I'm pausing to laugh at the sight of my favorite team, the cowboys Jett and Cord, saddling a yak in Kunming, China.

I'm watching as one team who is Chinese uses their heritage and language a bit to their advantage.

I'm resting in one of my favorite ways.

Resting in Between

I'm taking an hour or so to vegetate in between obligations today.

I spent a very large chunk of the morning poring over 500 or so Greek word bases in an attempt to store them in my memory before writing a midterm.

Then I wrote the midterm (which went well!).

And now, now I'm taking an hour or so to rest, catch up with some blog reading, and the news out of Japan, and just breathe a little before heading out to my evening plans.

I'm working at a Steve Bell concert tonight.  (If you don't know his music, you should!)  I've worked for Steve every time he's been in Calgary since I was 12.  That adds up to seeing him live probably 20 to 30 times over the years.  Tonight's concert is a release concert for his new album, and I'm quite looking forward to it.  Should be a fun evening, filled with really great music!  Hooray!

And so, since I was puttering online for an hour, I thought I'd stop in and say hi!  I'll be back tonight as usual with the Daily 5!

Do it Differently

I have long proclaimed New Year's Eve to be my least favorite holiday of the year.  All of the other big holidays tend to be about family, but New Year's is about partying with friends.  This is challenging when you don't particularly like to party, and the vast majority of your closest friends live far away.

I've spent most of the last 5 New Year's Eve's alone, and tonight won't be any different.

However, this year I've decided that lonely and melancholy can take a hike!

I'm quite looking forward to a quiet evening alone at mom and dad's (my parent's are going to a party - they have more of a social life than me - how funny is that!)

My plans for the evening involve a Top Chef marathon on the Food Network, maybe a funny movie or some Grey's Anatomy on DVD, Vietnamese take out, cozy pajamas, writing, reflecting, dreaming, a cup of tea, puttering around online, maybe painting my toenails, and maybe even a bubble bath.

I'm actually almost giddy with anticipation at the prospect of a nice evening in, alone, with a show I like being played in marathon format on the Food Network, and just chilling and having time to be peaceful and reflect and pray and plan for the year to come.

This is a day that finds me smiling, and not dreading the evening ahead.  I don't know when that happened, but I'm rather delighted to be doing it differently this year!

Stay tuned tonight for the final reverb 10 post, the final daily 5 post of 2010, and tomorrow for posts about my one little word, and plans for the year to come!

Pajama Day

After the slightly rough start to my morning I decided to emerge from bed.

It turned out that simply giving myself permission to stay in bed was all I needed, and when I spotted the sunshine, a new plan formed.

The other day Hope made a comment in a blog post about liking to clean in her pajamas.

This morning, as I pondered the day ahead of me, I remembered that comment and inspiration hit.

I declared it a pajama day.

I made a list of things that either could or should be done today - some household stuff, and a lot of self-care stuff, and decided that I would do some or all of it, but that I was not changing out of my pajamas.

I recommend this as a way to spend a day.

And, to be honest, I didn't do much on my list.  Mostly I rested.  I got up and did a few things here and there, but mostly, escapist television, and tea and resting.

And I recommend it as a way to spend a day.

I needed this day.

A pajama day.

And I plan to continue resting, watching escapist television, and maybe doing a few little tasks here and there through the evening.

Oh, and praying.  I have some time set aside later to pray for some specific people, events and things.

It's been a good day.  (And it's been a while since I could say that, so it's really nice to say it today.)

Random Today Thoughts

This has been the sort of day I generally like best.  Things go smoothly, and get accomplished, but there is rest and joy and peace and humor amongst those things.

I needed a today like this.  Yesterday was anything but.  Full of hard moments and tears.  Just one of those days where all of the things being juggled come crashing to the ground and you stand there amidst the scattered bits and pieces of life and wonder if this is really what the beginning of healing looks like?  This shattered, broken, scattered thing?

Today's anatomy chapter was about the "special senses".  Taste, vision, hearing, smell and equilibrium.  It was a long chapter.  Vision and hearing in particular, it turns out, are rather involved processes.  I learned (or in some cases was reminded of) some facts that fascinated me.  Things like the fact that though your nose is able to distinguish something like 10,000 unique smells, there are actually only 5 distinguishable tastes.  Practically, this means that when you have a cold and your food seems tasteless, it's actually because your nose is plugged and you can't smell, and doesn't have much at all to do with the physical process of taste.  By far my favorite fact of the day is the reason you get a runny nose when you cry.  (Hey, I spent a good portion of yesterday crying, I had a vested interest in this piece of information!)  It turns out that your tear ducts actually drain into your nose.  So, when you cry, and your tear ducts are producing tears like crazy, instead of just lubricating your eye, they spill over your eyelids (and down your cheeks) and the excess drains into your nose.  Thus, a runny nose when crying!

The anatomy chapter too probably four hours to wade through and make notes and define terms, but stats went quickly today, though I'll need to attack another assignment over the next few days, and that is bound to be time consuming.  Other than that, though, and some serious memorizing and review, I don't have anything on the schedule school wise, for the weekend.  And that is a relief in and of itself.

I also spent an hour or so resting this afternoon.  Laid out in a hot bath, reading a novel.  A most excellent way to reward oneself for a long morning of anatomy, and to ease the edges of yesterday's painful remnants.

An email to my former roommate, catching her up on life, and another to the man in charge of my RRSPs from my former company rounded out the day.  Call me crazy, but I'm looking at changing financial advisors.  I'm just not comfortable with the close ties my financial advisor has to my former employer.  Ties professionally, but more uncomfortably, personally.  Ties like being the ex-husband of the woman who was formally my boss.  Though I know there is a code of professional ethics that he'd be a fool to break, I'll feel better if someone who doesn't talk to her regularly because of shared children, is in charge of a large sum of my money!

And with that, I'm off... dad's church is having a Stampede BBQ tonight, and if there's free food, that's usually where I can be found these days!  Food, likely laughter, and family.  Doesn't sound like a bad way to spend an evening!

Friday Morning

Here's how this day is likely going to go.

In a minute or two I'm going to crawl out of bed and do some yoga.  10-20 minutes.  I haven't decided which video I want to do.  Probably the longer one to stretch everything comfortably out.

Then a shower and dressing for the day.

Some quick administrative stuff at home, and by 10 I'll have packed up my computer and I'll be heading out to catch a bus to my parent's house.  I could probably get a ride from Grandma, but trust me on this, taking the bus, though less convenient, is far better for one's peace of mind.  Most bus drivers aren't over 80 and, while they, too, sometimes take liberties with the rules of the road, it's not usually because of age or lack of eyesight.

At mom and dad's I have a wedding slideshow to finish up, and then I'll be helping with preparations for the rehearsal dinner tonight.

This afternoon will be about prepping for the first of two receptions on Sunday, and about set-up at the "church" (the church T & L attend meets in a local elementary school, so we're decorating the school gymnasium this afternoon.)  Then the wedding rehearsal itself, and the rehearsal dinner.

It's going to be a very full day.

The kind of day that requires a twirling skirt, I think.

I'm scheduling a post or two to go live today, and I'll be back tonight with the usual daily 5.

And with that, I'm off to start the day!

It's definitely Monday

Today marks the beginning of what promises to be a crazy week.

This coming Sunday my baby brother will be married.  In the meantime, the entire extended family is consumed with wedding details, and tucking the stuff of day to day life in between the wedding details.

I had another weekend full of life curve balls.  As I jokingly pointed out to a friend in an email last night, I could probably make a killing off my blog, in advertising, and readers, if I was only anonymous, and able to share the crazyness that life has been throwing at me lately in a public place.

I've been getting messages in my tea, lately, too.  No, not that kind of message in my tea.  I mean that, with the brand of green tea I've been drinking for my weekday morning "warm me up" beverage has little inspirational messages printed on the paper tag attached to the tea bag.  They've been amusingly hard-hitting to various lessons I've been learning lately.  Today's reminded me "You only give when you love."

I woke up this morning with a brutal head ache.  Thankfully, the drugs I swallowed before I even turned on the lights seem to be making some headway.

I'm wearing my wedding shoes around the office today (and probably several more days this week.)  I'm a little afraid of what will happen if I don't wear them for a whole lot of days, and then I have to wear them for ten or twelve straight hours on Sunday.

I have a list of blog posts planned, but finding time to write them this week will be the challenge.  I want to talk a bit more about Sara Miles' "Jesus Freak" and a bit about the newest book that booksneeze.com sent me to review.  I'm really enjoying this one "I am Hutterite" - it's a fascinating account, and is reviving my hope in Thomas Nelson - a hope that had been rather dented by the slogging necessary for a reading of "A Hole in Our Gospel".  I want to talk again about Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years", too.

But this week might be a week for purging my inbox of built-up quotes and various thoughts from Henri Nouwen.  I have a wedding slideshow to tackle, and some wedding errands to do.  A few personal obligations and some church obligations as well.

So, we'll play it by ear.

Which, at this moment, is all I can manage.  Because it definitely feels like a Monday.

Saturday Things

I started the morning lazily and slowly, laying awake in bed, puttering on my computer and watching some television online for several hours.

Fruit for breakfast.  Raspberries and Blackberries.

A shower.

Some self-pampering.

Then mom picked me up, I helped with a bit of baking for the upcoming wedding.

I started the process of shortening a pair of pants.

I remembered why I haven't shortened pants myself in well over a year, and why I prefer to pay someone else to do it.

I remembered that I don't like ironing either.

(And I haven't even gotten to the hand-stitching part of the hemming process.  That's the part I like the least.)

I cobbled together a costume for L's bachelorette party tonight.

Have I ever mentioned here that I am NOT a fan of games?  Any games really.

Particularly role-playing or acting type games.

Or really anything that requires me to wear a costume and draw attention to myself.

I'll happily watch others play, but please don't make me play.

(Except maybe Dutch Blitz, and one or two word games.  I don't mind those.)

We're doing a role-playing, acting, murder mystery game for the bachelorette, because she loves those sorts of games.

And I'm playing the role of a man.

Perfect.

(Can you feel my misery at the prospect?)

At least I get dinner at a restaurant I really enjoy out of the process.

Being in a wedding party, I've decided, is an expensive endeavor.

There are so many more gifts and clothes that must be purchased and parties that must be attended.

I did however try a new "instant" lunch that I'd purchased a while back.

Thai peanut rice noodles.

Very tasty, but could use some vegetables.

I'll add those next time for effect.

I also took photos of photos.

Scanning them didn't work out so well, so I photographed about 70 childhood photos of T and L.

Tomorrow and the remainder of the evenings that I'm free until their wedding will be dedicated to putting those photos and quite a lot of others into a slideshow for their wedding reception.

And with that, I'm off to find something to snack on, and maybe do a little bit of reading before I dive head-long into the unique "joys" of this evening's plans.

I'll be back later with a daily 5 list!

Tattoos, Car sales and evening plans

I'm hanging out at my parent's house for a while tonight.

Mooching a free dinner.

Selling my car to my brother J.

For exactly what I paid for it.

He's getting an even better deal than I did, because I paid for a few minor repairs.

But I don't feel right selling it for more than I paid.

It was sold to me as a gift of sorts.

And it feels wrong to make a profit on someone's generosity to me.

Apparently I'm also going to get to check out J's new tattoo.

I found out about the tattoo in a text message this morning, informing me he'd show me tonight.

It seems the king of impermance has had something permanently inked on his body.

I'm WAY curious to find out what it is that made the grade for permanence.

I'm still hoping to get my first tattoo later this year.

Probably to celebrate the 5th anniversary of my healing from depression

And then home, and staring at a wedding slideshow.

Watching a little television via the internet while I putter with the pictures.

And then hoping for rest.

Daily 5 - Day 263

Today's Daily 5:

1. Fresh red bark mulch in a flower bed I walked by this morning
2. Made it through a really challenging day
3. The scent of frankincense
4. A lit candle
5. steak sandwich in a pub for supper
6. dinner with a friend
7. iphone
8. wore my hair in leftover braids from the wedding hair practice today
9. prayers and scripture and advice from a dear friend
10. Remembering to somehow trust, even after a really rough day and night