Monday, January 24, 2011

one thing leads to another...aka scattered thoughts.


oats in a thrifted jar...no seal...parchment paper seems to work.

I am finally coming to terms with this season of Solitude that I am in. It's taking me a while to get past the guilt of not doing...in whatever form that may take...work, ministry, running here and there...busy-ness essentially. Been there, done that. It's time to slow things down. And breathe. Be quiet. Listen. It's necessary. And not easy.  But being alone (click that link...don't mistake being alone for being lonely. I'm not lonely...at all. Come to think of it...I don't know that I experience loneliness. I quite enjoy being alone...) has led to some interesting revelations.

Solitude...and quiet...has lead to some good things. One of them being my list of goals. And one of those goals being trying my hand at Yoga. I am loving it. And I like how this article describes it...slow, no pain, no pressure...just slow and deliberate movements that feel really, really good. Who knew I'd enjoy it so much?

Something else I've been enjoying is Miso. So good...and so good for you. I warm a little chicken broth diluted with a bit of water and add in a slice or two of fresh ginger. When it's heated through I pour it into a mug and add a teaspoon of Genmai Miso (soy and brown rice), stir to dissolve and sip away while checking email. SO good. Matter of fact, I had a little stomach thing going on last week. I made myself a mug of miso and the stomach trouble disappeared. Coincidence? Maybe. But...maybe not!

A blog friend of mine, Mavis, has been sharing her adventures in amazing coupon shopping on her blog, 100 Dollars a Month. You would not believe the deals she gets! It's amazing. I am so impressed as coupon clipping and I don't get along. I thought I had the perfect money making coupon deal planned out yesterday for CVS...the way I figured it I should have come out 11 cents in the black. Instead? I spent $25 and have NO IDEA where I went wrong. Dangit! Anyway...Mavis has created a cute Coupon Purse to help you organize your coupons while looking stylish and hip at the same time. Wanna win one? Go here!

I watched Ellen Foster this weekend. I got the DVD at the library...for FREE. Have I mentioned recently how much I LOVE the library? No? Well...let me just say, I LOVE THE LIBRARY.

I also watched 99 Balloons: The Story of Baby Eliot again this morning. I cry...hard...to the point of making my throat hurt from holding back the sobs, every time I watch it. So sweet...and brings back memories of a friend of mine whose baby girl, Elora, was also born with Trisomy 18 several years back. Sadly, Elora did not get to experience life here on earth...Jesus took her home just before she entered the world during delivery. She was beautiful.

Amazing the blessings we are allowed to experience when we're paying attention...
 
OK...well...yoga is done, miso has been sipped, blog has been updated. Now...beds need to be made, dinners need to be planned, chickens need to be fed, groceries need picking up. The day must go on...and the solitude enjoyed.

Remembering to breathe...are you?

9 comments:

teekaroo said...

I'm like you with the coupons. Somehow, I end up paying more instead of less...?
Maybe she'll give me courage to try again.

Anonymous said...

oh my goodness - how many ways can I say - I love this post? Really. You sound like the yoga instructor!!

Nancy said...

i like solitude. it's never been a problem for me. could be that i spent the majority of my growing up years as an only child. just me. a girl in the country with her dog, her horse, her lamb and her books. in my junior year of college i moved to my own apartment. no roommates. best thing i ever did. my grades improved and so did my attitude. i still need my alone time. just me and a book in my comfy chair or if it's nice, take a walk.

p.s. how does mavis do it? i'm always amazed at what she ends up with.

Magnolia Handspun said...

Great post Michelle...sounds like you are organized and effective today...what a lift to read and very inspiring.
Namaste.

Camille said...

Yum...your Miso sounds so good...and no, I don't think it's a coincidence...broth and ginger are so good for you! :)

Have a wonderful week!
Camille

Anonymous said...

I was just having this conversation yesterday morning with my husband. We are both a bit of work-a-holics and both did nothing over the weekend! well...nothing according to us! But I realized we did something much more than we realized. Much more important than the tangible acts of something we call productivity. We spent time together as a family. And it dawned on me...are we not human beings? so why not be? But instead, we try to be human doings..doing, doing, doing. But really is being that really counts in this place we call our life.

christina said...

me and coupons, let's just say we are SO not cool. ; )

i love miso. i just bought miso almonds, and i fell in love.
xo

Tia said...

Thanks for the reminder of how important it is to breathe and step away. I am on day #2 off from work sick, and I felt so guilty taking the second one. But wow, I really needed it. Wish I had read this first thing, so it would have been more guilt free.

As always your post is so engaging and brings a sense of ahhhhh relief.

Sheryl said...

your last statement "remembering to breathe...are you"?

no, no, no i am not remembering to breathe. i am kind of tired of my solitude and with that comes tension & stress.

i need to remember to breathe. i need to remember the One who gives that breath.

wow, i have missed being here.