Five on Friday

Here are a few of the things I'm loving right now...

1. My 4-year-old

We had a fun and festive princess/hello kitty gala last night, surrounded by family and friends. I think I spent more on her balloon and card (you blow out the "candle" and it sings "happy birthday") than on her cake. Still, you tell me what a smile like that is worth.

2. Imaginary family members

I'm unclear on the "why" but both daughters have had extensive imaginary families, complete with 10+ siblings (#1 spoke so vividly about her "South African family" that the preschool teacher asked me if she was adopted!). Well, #2 has taken up where she left off, with even more imaginative siblings (two are named tree baby and house baby...never can get her to explain why). Her older sister, as a keepsake card, decided to immortalize her vision of "Shosho" and "Bobo" from the stories Blondie likes to tell. They look like fun to me :0)


3. Adoration

Last night (this morning, I guess) I was blessed and motivated enough to make it back to my old 4 AM time slot at our local Oratory. It's hard to explain how wonderful that hour is to me. To sit and pray in the silence (and at 4 AM, it's really silent!)...it feeds me spiritually in a way I've never been able to replace. It was so nice and it was so helpful to realize that, at this point, there is no chance I can make it a full-time gig. I've been wiped out all day.

4. Early morning exercise

Of course, I could actually be wiped out because, after getting home and changing my clothes at 5:20 AM, I headed out to the local track (there are lots of hills around here and, with no sleep, it's all I can do to run on a flat surface). Still, 3 miles in felt wonderful. I wasn't joined  by anyone else until well after 6 so it was great to just be out in the cool morning alone.

Of course, my new toy makes everything more exciting...my bro and s-i-l are always on the cutting edge of trends. Usually, I am not. However, I noticed their bands this weekend and when I checked out FITBIT I knew it would soon be mine. This thing tracks your steps each day, nutrition, water intake, sleep(!). All in a shiny orange package (yes, they come in black if you're not into making a fashion statement) sooo cool.

 

5. Moving stuff and reconnecting. 

I've been a pretty crummy friend lately. Other than my two closest pals, I haven't had any time to nurture a lot of the acquaintances I've made over the last several years. I've actually been OK with that. There are people who will pass in and out and it's good just to touch base...that's the amount of interaction needed and wanted, I think, on both sides. For others, though, this time away has been a little bit like a post-move. If you go through a year without opening a box that traveled from your old house, you can be pretty sure there is nothing in there that's needed in your new place. So it is with several people I've lost touch with over the last year. The distance has given me perspective - to realize that we didn't have enough to carry us long-term. On the flip-side, that's why it's so nice when a long-lost friend is willing to put in the effort to reconnect. It's a treasure you cherished but forgot about for a while. I'm looking so forward to sharing mussels with a lost treasure next week :0)

5A. Reading stuff

Since we're talking about using time wisely...I've been noticing that my reading tastes have changed immensely in the last few years. I used to plow through almost any murder mystery I would pick up, just to have something to pass the time. Now, thankfully, I can't really stomach it any more (I've never been a "romance" novel type of girl). The violence on the page of some of these mysteries is so not worth my time and damaging to my mind. The same for lots of books with language that rivals, well, a Big Brother episode. I have several readers in the house now so, no, I won't take the chance of having those lying around. I'm grateful, really, that my mind is finally coming clear about some things. I guess it's the busyness (or the age) I just don't want to spend time with things that aren't nourishing to me. So, off with you Bridget Jones, I'm opting for an Amish mystery (still some plot twists but darling enough that my 8-year-old can also partake).

Have a blessed weekend!