Allowance - Book Fair

#1 –My teeth felt especially gross last night and I was really looking forward to brushing them. However when I looked in my bag, I’d packed two tubes of toothpaste but zero toothbrushes. How did that happen? I did at least have dental floss, but it was especially satisfying tonight to have a toothbrush again.

#2 – The forecast the past few days has been nearly ideal and I’ve so blessed to have lots of time outdoors during it. Today that included a leisurely walk along a creek with leaves just beginning to turn after dropping my friend’s child off at pre-school.

#3 – This is the third time I’ve watched my friend’s children while they were away. I love it and at the same time it is exhausting (and this time was only 28 hours). Besides dishes, I do little house work and the food is prepped for us beforehand. I seriously both respect and have zero desire to be a single parent. Yet it’s also fun to slip into someone else’s life briefly – to get a rare snapshot – and to have the children accept you without a blink.

#4 – “My friend is going to vote for Donald Trump.” The 7 year old told me at dinner with alarm in his voice about his neighbor/friend. He then explained his friend wasn’t old enough to actually vote.

“Do you know why he likes Trump?” I asked neutrally.

“I don’t think he wants a girl to be president,” he said, “isn’t that _____?” (I’m not sure the adjective he used here – something like – silly, crazy or dumb.)

#5 – Taking the 7 year old with the money he saved from his allowance to his school book fair. He bought one Captain Underpants book and one journal that could lock. I thought he might be mistaking the journal for a book with a story so I clarified with him a couple times that it was just blank pages inside (the cover looked exciting). He said he understood and that was what he wanted.

Sure enough, we came home and he started writing his “secret” things immediately. This is from a child whom I recall his pre-school teacher telling his mother to MAKE him write his name daily because he wasn’t good at it (and hated writing). She didn’t want to force him to write and I agreed it was ridiculous – and look at him now.

Backtrack - Franz Jevne

In my quest to slowly visit all the state parks in Minnesota, last week I went to the smallest - Franz Jevne. I missed my post, but here is a little bit of the simple beauty. The trees on the other side of the Rainy River are in Canada.

Brenda McMorrow

#1 -




#2 - Listening to another musician I like led me to this one which then to Tina Turner singing a Peace Mantra. Tina Turner singing a Peace Mantra? Wow - that has got to be a good sign.




#3 - It used to be that if I stayed up late a night or two, and then tried to go to bed "on time" I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. It was so frustrating because I would be overtired. In college it would happen every Sunday night. It seems my sleeping habits might be getting a little more flexible as I age. In general I fall asleep faster and last night I went to bed a good hour and a half "early" despite staying up an hour and a half "late" the night before, and I woke up before my alarm well rested.



#4 - I started my community ed exercise class again. I saw one of the participants at the farmer's market last week so I was forewarned we would have a new instructor. I just hoped it would be someone that wouldn't make things too easy. Today's class was a bit hectic. People are used to the old teacher's style so there was some confusion, but the new instructor was punctual and well organized.



#5 - I decided that I may introduce a new feature into my weekly soccer email. Along with our game time I may include a quote of the week. Today's quote was already favorably received by one of my team members.

"Pain is a traveling professor, and it just goes and knocks on everyone's door and the smartest people I know are the people who say, 'Come in and just don't leave until you've taught me what I need to know.'"

Glennon Doyle Melton

Oxygen

The universe is so big
but it comes down to
one breath
the tiny amount of air
the tiny amount of oxygen
required for your life to continue
to expand and contract

7-8 liters of air per minute
20% oxygen

the vastness of space
inconsequential
the vastness of breath
needed here
again
and again
and again






#2 - As "captain" of my soccer team, I sign up the team and pay for everybody and then they each pay me. Last session - as best I can ascertain - the last check ended up in the wash with my soccer bag. I emailed the guy today and asked if he'd add that money on to his check for next session.

He replied that he would be happy to.

#3 - An email that began

"Good morning love"

It's been a while since I've had one with such a salutation

#4 - A note from my friend's mom

"The flower that Laura brought home, I had been pulling it up thinking it was a weed. And believe me, it does have roots that go way down. I will be leaving that wild flower alone now."

#5 - I fell asleep by 8:45pm last night because I was tired and I did not turn on any lights or pull myself through to a second wind.

I just went to bed.

Why is such a simple thing

such an immense luxury?

Nature

"Elegance is to get ride of all the superfluous things and focus in on the most beautiful one."

Paulo Coelho

I went to listen to Krita Tippet's On Being today because I needed that kind of energy. There were a few recent episodes I was excited to listen to - Joanna Macy, Elizabeth Gilbert and Paolo Coelho.

Paolo Coelho - an all time favorite author of mine.

People are attracted to camping and vacations in general because it often allows one to focus on beauty. But more interesting to me is how do we get rid of the superfluous things (physical, mental and activity wise) in our everyday life, so that we can better see the beauty there?

The first and last photo from our campsite in the BWCA brought me peace when I looked at them yesterday, and anxiety when I looked at them today. I experienced both there.

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote was true more than ever for me. I had to search to find the author and am happy to say it is Emerson because this reminds me that my second favorite play of all time is coming back to town soon, about the friendship between Thoreau and Emerson.

http://www.tigerlion.org/nature/

Two small things that are big appreciations for me today are:

A. The kind/understanding woman on the phone whom I called about having some tests done next week.
B. My friend being available for me to come over and talk to her tonight.

"Elegance is to go to the core of beauty, and the core of beauty is simplicity." Paulo Coelho

Super Soul - Shawn Achor

#1 - When I went camping last month I thought a small town we passed through sounded familiar, but I couldn't figure out why.  Then I saw a sign that said "Pine Grove Lodge."  Oh!  This was where a friend of mine in middle school moved up to.  At first they only lived there in the summer, then in 9th grade she moved up there year round.  I stayed there with my parents a couple times.  It is/was a small place.  Six cabins plus the main lodge.  When we drove by I thought, "I should write to her."   I looked up Pine Grove Lodge and saw that her brother and family now run the place.  This morning I awoke at 6:30 and had the time and space to relax in bed and write that letter.

#2 - Then I wrote another letter.  As is often the case, I was surprised by what came out through my hand.  This is my definition of good writing, when I am just as surprised as the reader would be at the content.  That is letter #42 for me.  I'm 10 letters away from reaching my goal of 52 letters this year.  At this point that goal feels within reach.

#3 - Making it to the neighboring farmer's market just before they closed, since I wasn't at mine yesterday, to grab a cantaloupe.  Last week's was delicious.

#4 - Feeling my energetic/enthusiastic self again when I arrived at the sweet man's house today and had a bunch of things to tell him. His smile demonstrated his appreciation.  We (his girls and I) took a break during our tasks to teach him how to play spoons.  The youngest hasn't quite mastered watching the spoons and the cards at the same time.

#5 - Being able to openly talk about the sweet man's "pain body" (Eckhart Tolle term) after it has passed with his daughters.  The fact that he is open and receptive to this is a great teaching tool for them.  We talked about how the pain body is never rational, and the oldest said her dad wasn't patient with hers.

"What would be helpful to your pain body?"  I asked her.

"For people to pay attention to me."  She responded.

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P.S.  I've been enjoying the Super Soul Sessions put together by Oprah this week.  This man is new to me, I can't help but share it even though I can't figure out how to embed this link.


http://www.supersoul.tv/supersoul-sessions/the-life-altering-power-of-a-positive-mind

Flowers and Fear

#1 - My father unexpectedly showed up at the end of the farmer's market so I didn't have to figure out how to bike home with this gift from a vendor.

#2 - Because he was there, the only time all year, I asked him about one of our tents that has a screw missing. One of our board members said he'd bring it home after the market last week to fix, then said wouldn't bring it home but would come back to get it during the week. That never happened so a different board member said he'd come back to get it this week. I wasn't sure how long this would continue. My Dad looked at it, brought it home, and had it fixed within an hour.

#3 - I had a doctor appointment last week. There is something I'm not concerned about but I'm going back soon to have checked out. Today I found further reason for inquiry and suddenly I felt scared. As I walked to the bus I alternated between alarm and seeing the beauty around me. In fact about halfway through the bus ride, a woman remarked to her cell phone, "Look at those beautiful clouds."

So I did.

#4 - The bus dropped me off a little over a half mile from the sweet man's house. I had emailed him earlier that if he felt like a short walk he could come to meet me, and at that point I was really hoping he did.

He did.

#5 - On our walk back to his house he asked, "Is everything alright?"

"No."

Then we came upon this