I'm falling behind in my posts, but I will not be anxious about this. I already see the value of my "100-days" experiment: I am purposefully seeking the joy in my day, every day. I see something in the yard or think something as I drive and say to myself, "Yes! This brings me joy!" The only missing step is recording my joys on e-paper (ie, this blog).
This morning, I am thankful for the fullness of life that often prevents me from sitting at my computer. I am grateful that right now I must type for all I'm worth rather than carefully consider each word -- that's one of the smaller values of my 100-days experiment. I look at my to-do list, scribbled on an envelope and pouring onto its backside with nothing yet crossed off, and I realize that my list is a list of joys, not a source of anxiety.
Examples from today's to-do list:
Finish the poster showing all the fourth grader's spring service projects. What a joy that these 14 children each found a way to serve their God and community. As I tape their photos and written descriptions of their projects to the poster board, I see their personalities in their choices of projects and their words describing the experience. What a joy that my children attend a school that encourages them to engage in the world in a way that furthers the Kingdom of God!
Pack for camping trip. This seems like a daunting chore, since it involves armloads of gear in the basement, clothing in the bedrooms, food from the grocery store, and -- oddly enough -- I can't even remember the name of this year's campground destination, so I need to figure out where we're going! But, despite the work of packing, camping is a joy. Our family loves campfires and hiking and cooking with a Coleman stove. We love this long-standing tradition of camping over Memorial Day weekend with this group of neighborhood friends. It is a joy to catch up with them and spend a leisurely weekend with them.
Pick up our farm-share early. We have belonged to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm since Sally was a baby. Every Saturday from May until November, we go to the CSA to pick up our fresh veggies. Some are waiting at the farmstand, others must be picked in the fields. Some weeks, it's a big job that takes more than an hour. But we love so many things about our farmshare. We love visiting the farm. We love that the kids see their food source and are actively involved in gathering dinner ingredients. When Sally was little, she would plunk herself down among the rows of green beans, barely visible through the leaves, and eat a whole meal's worth of legumes -- it gives me joy to imagine all those greenie little vitamins finding their way into my picky eater! We love the farm as a family activity; and Husband and I enjoy the challenge of finding uses for kale and collards and bok choy. We have amassed all sorts of favorite recipes for cooking veggies that we didn't even know existed when we were children. The farmshare has also taught me the joys of fresh flowers. By August, we have vases of cosmos and snapdragons and many flowers I can't even name, all lovely and colorful and day-brightening.
No comments:
Post a Comment