Weekly Reflection

Okay, I have to be honest-it isn't Sunday. I am backdating my reflection because it was supposed to be on Sunday, but I was still thinking then. Not surprising since it was three weeks after New Year's before I set my goals in the first place. Sometimes I feel like I move at a whole different pace than most of the world, but I don't guess that's a bad thing.

Today is not a poetry day, but it was a hard day in some ways and I kept going back to "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver-

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

It's comforting and humbling to remember that "meanwhile the world goes on". Everything continues in the same cycles and the same paths-helps to keep things in perspective.

This week has been a week to think about balance-mostly because it is so hard to keep. I have also noticed how the way I am feeling about things changes through the week-I feel like I am accomplishing less as the week goes on even though this isn't true. I think I have too many expectations for what I should do on the weekend and I get disappointed with myself. I tend to do things from least liked to most liked so I get all of the unfun stuff or things for other people done but then I am out of time. I also find that when I reflect back on the week the beginning of the week seems about a year ago-it is almost hard to remember so if I did something earlier in the week I almost forget about it. I'm not sure how to bring better perspective to time so this doesn't happen.

Read More Poetry

I did do this. I read through "Good Poems" and marked things that stood out to copy and reflect on more later. I went too fast, which totally defeats the point but it's a library book so I wanted to be able to return it. Balance issue here-I went too quickly and I knew I was doing it so even though I read I felt like it mostly did not get absorbed. I didn't feel particularly enriched by this, I felt more enriched by sitting and reading "Wild Geese" for 30 minutes today.

Take More Pictures

Did this-took a few during the week and then went and did Valentine's pictures with Bailey at the Lakefront on Saturday. Thank goodness, because the weather was bad Sunday and now it is freezing cold.

Create More

I spent more time this weekend playing with Photoshop. I bought some actions from Paint the Moon and edited the Valentine's pictures. Time passes way too quickly on the computer and even though I upgraded I am still hitting a learning curve. I finished on Sunday afternoon and I was able to move a lot faster. Balance issue-I spent all my time on the computer and didn't do anything else and even though I am very happy with the results doing computer stuff is just not the same to me as doing something hands on. I made Valentine's decorations for my house on Monday and decorated the mantle, but it seems so long ago. I also made cookies and granola this weekend, finally. I have been wanting to do the granola for a month and never go to it.

Exercise More

I guess more is relative. I exercised more than someone who did nothing. I did yoga once, but then I had to return the DVD to the library and I didn't do anything else. Bailey even asked to do yoga two or three times-I need to listen to her!

Reflect More

I guess I should revise this so it doesn't include getting up earlier because maybe that isn't going to happen. I felt like I alternated between working to be present and aware and totally wasting time and having no idea why this week. That could be why it took me two extra days to process enough to do my reflection. I feel like this goal is in progress.

Maintain a Welcoming Home

We did great until Wednesday and then we skipped a few days. This happened last week too-hump day is bad for cleaning. We caught back up on the weekend.

Connect More

I went to Bunco Thursday which was fun and made plans with one of the other ladies to get together in a few weeks and make bows. We also talked about doing a crafty group every few months and there was some interest in that so I am going to try to get some things together that we could do. I wanted to go to Dress a Girl around the World at church but Bailey woke us up in the middle of the night and then I slept too late so I didn't make it, but maybe next time. I sent out some cards of thanks for things this week too-sitting and writing what I am specifically thankful for was very centering-I feel like it is a little weird, but hopefully a nice weird. The world needs more of that. I am making an effort in this area, and it is an effort because I feel like I am putting myself out there more which is scary but I am finding things come back to me-different ways, different people, but back nonetheless.

Write

Still no. I have the same two sentences I did before. Still a great big chicken.

Be Open to Spiritual Growth

We missed small group this week because I made spaghetti bolognaise without reading the entire recipe, which I should have done because it had to bake for a long time and it wasn't ready for us to leave. I am still going through The Purpose Driven Life. I don't have too much to say about that except that I am trying. I am still in Matthew in The Message translation. I am still loving that verse...Just be there, as simply and honestly as you can.