NaBloPoMo- Day 7: Is this a sprint or a marathon?

When I was 35, I thought nothing of staying up late and then getting up early. I ordinarily worked long hours and was a mom to young children and walked the dog and danced at wedding receptions. I had a lot of energy.

At 55, I am discovering that there is a wall, and I hit it regularly. Early and often. I am keenly aware of how much I benefit from a good night's sleep, from adequate hydration and sunlight, and an occasional change of scenery, which is the human equivalent of repotting a plant, I think. And in contrast, I am just as aware of how too little sleep, skipping meals, not drinking enough water, skimping on the dogs' walks, and not scheduling fun (preferably outdoor fun) is just.plain.stupid. I don't need any reminders that (my)life is stressful. Most of us lead stressful lives. Some of the stress is positive and life-giving. Some of it is draining, soul-sucking. I have a friend who sets a beautiful table and cooks healthy, vegan fare, just for herself. She posts a picture on her Facebook wall, and they are a sight to behold and cause envy, at least in me. Supreme self-care.

Another friend heads to the gym for CrossFit training at 5:00 a.m. I am sure it's part of her self-care. My beloved spends time with Tetris, arranging puzzle pieces, perhaps because it's one place where things are neat and orderly and the round comes to an end. So many tasks in our lives are repetitive. Some of us have chronic conditions, or illness that is hard to diagnose, or jobs that are not fulfilling and life is about endurance more than it is about joy. Running a marathon is not the same as being a sprinter. On-going circumstances are different than ones that have a beginning and an end. The possibility of recurrence of an illness, perhaps, creates a different sort of race. And how one trains for that which is chronic, long-lasting or without an end in sight is very different than situations that resolve or stabilize more quickly. Friends along the race course help immensely. I know that for sure. People who understand without saying a word or are funny and shout from the side of the course, "You can do it! And the same medal is waiting for you at the finish as the Kenyans!!" are as or more effective than ibuprofen. Friends who remember to ask about a person who going through something chronic are as dear as those who deliver casseroles. A text that says, "Hope this test brings answers" is as golden as a Hallmark card.

I'm so grateful for a circle of friends and family who cheer like bad boys and girls. I am still looking for my ritual, for that which refills me when I get to Heartbreak Hill and hit the wall. I am sure that the secret is to have a practice of some sort, whether it's prayer, yoga, knitting, cooking, tennis, journaling, observing Sabbath that postpones wall-hitting. I still haven't found what I'm looking for, but I will. And whether it's a sprint or a marathon, I feel sure that when I do figure out my self-care practice, I'll feel 35 again. Images from Flickr, Susan, and the Mini-Marathon.

NaBloPoMo- Day 6: A World of Great Need

The sequence of events unfolded in this way: This past summer, several members of the congregation I serve saw this video on YouTube, which led to a conversation about creating backpacks to distribute to homeless neighbors in need. Our Vacation Bible School project took shape and many contributed backpacks and useful items to go in the backpacks. Last week, the topic of our second hour intergenerational education offering was loving our neighbors and one of the options to attend was a great presentation by one of our members on what she was learning about being a thoughtful responder to homeless people in our midst. Her involvement was prompted by good conversations she and her husband had been having with their children about how to respond to the need. She shared the video above, as well as this one and some great tips on having conversations filled with compassion and dignity with people we encounter. The backpack project took shape for us, with assembly and note writing, so that recipients would receive a warm and supportive message along with tangible items such as socks, hats, gloves, food items, personal hygiene products and more. Folks who attend the class that morning were invited to take a filled backpack to offer, if they wished, or allow other volunteers to take any remaining backpacks to our local shelter.

I had occasion to be in Chicago yesterday and passed a lot of homeless men and women who were asking for assistance or carried signs, or were street musicians. Most of them had backpacks. After a hospital visit and lunch with a friend, I was walking down Michigan Avenue on my way to the train and passed a young man whose cardboard sign read, "I'm just trying to support my family." I stopped to talk with him and learned that he has two small children and a wife and that they have been homeless for six months because he was unable to find a job after returning from being stationed in Iraq. We talked for a few more moments and then I asked if I might give him the backpack from our church and what it contained. He agreed and looked inside. "May I share this?" he asked. I assured him that it was his to do with as he pleased. "My children haven't eaten this week," he said. I told him that I hoped he would find some helpful things and that I would keep him and his family in my prayers. We each said "God bless you" to the other, with lots of feeling, and I cried the rest of the walk to Union Station. I hope the backpack made some small difference in the young man's day. We live in a world of great, sometimes overwhelming need. But if feels much better to notice and engage with a person in need than to walk by as if he or she were invisible. I'm going to keep some backpacks handy in my car for future encounters. And I think I'll be keeping a gift card for food in my wallet as well. I hope these are good faith gestures.

NaBloPoMo-Day 5: Collecting Sounds

I learned a mindfulness technique earlier this year, in which one is still and listens for ten distinct sounds. It has become my favorite thing to do while waiting. I walk the dogs and collect sounds. I ride the train and scan for conversation, music, train wheels, babies cooing. I sit in doctor's office waiting rooms and collect the sounds around me.I collected sounds as I walked down Michigan Avenue today. I am calmer because of this practice and I know I am less anxious. I love this practice.

NaBloPoMo- Day 4: Just an ordinary day

Like many, many people, I voted today. Like many, I went to work. Like so many, I got a lot done, but none of it was on my to do list.

I didn't get to the gym. I walked the dogs a couple of times. I exchanged texts with our second born. I got to attend four meetings with really wonderful people and we did some pretty creative work. I have some reading to catch up on, some writing that I've put off. I have a great salmon recipe that will have to wait until tomorrow.

I've managed to blog for four days in a row. My sisters-in-law are meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida this week to celebrate a big birthday one of them recently observed.

This is more of a list than a blog post, but it's getting late, and I'll be more inspired tomorrow.

NaBloPoMo: Day 3- Meet George

Here's a story of a trip that ended differently than it began. George is almost nine months old now. He's part Azorean Cattle Dog and part American bulldog. One winter day earlier this year, our daughter and son-in-law, C and B, went to a Golden Retriever adoption event near their home in suburban Cleveland and a small, black puppy caught their eye.

The rescue group that was sponsoring eight week old George talked to C and B about him, and after playing with him for a while, they went home to prepare to be foster parents, with the option to adopt baby George. Everyone got along famously. Fast forward to August, and life has changed a lot. New jobs in a new state for C and B, and George is living at our house while they get settled. It may be a little while...

George is a very active, large puppy these days. We are walking him, playing with him, working on training ourselves and him, and generally having a great time. He's smart and loving and gets along really well with Lucy, our 5 year old Golden. We're not very popular on neighborhood walks right now, as George's aggressive bark is unappealing to joggers, older adults, people who are trying to sleep, squirrels, other dogs, and children and teenagers. We hope that will change.

We're proud, tired grandparents, and we know that C and B miss him very much. We will be glad when they're back together for keeps, but it will be a much quieter and subdued manse when George is back with his folks. In the meantime, we're throwing a lot of tennis balls, talking lots of walks, and are thankful for the time George is hanging out with us.

NaBloPoMo: Day 2-- Sainted Colleagues

It's All Saints' Day. We read the names of church members who had passed away in the previous year. We chose to include their names in the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving, just prior to celebrating communion. It was a pretty moving list... We also included a new little ritual and made prayer flags from strips of fabric. Folks were invited to write names on the fabric pieces. They were collected and strung on a string and the string of prayer flags was hung outdoors from wall to wall on our porte-cochere. It was colorful and animated by the breeze we have today. I hope we did a decent job in worship today remembering the departed. I kept thinking about my parish colleagues this morning. I've been very blessed, most especially over the last eleven years, to work with talented, creative people who are fun and thoughtful and flexible and deeply committed to their work. I have my grave shortcomings. I don't always pace myself well, and then I'm tired and cranky. I want to learn more about the art of coaching, so that I can help train leaders to be even more effective. I want to be more effective. too. I want to help others set their dreams in motion. I have some dreams as well, as does this terrific congregation. In the meantime, it has been a special joy that I do not take for granted, to work with amazing colleagues, past and present. I thank God for Tom and Ashley-Anne and Matt, for Carolyn and Joyce, for Therese and Chris, Marilyn, Alison, Patti and Stephanie, for Kurt, Elaine and Kristene. Thanks, God, for sainted colleagues.

NaBloPoMo- Day One: Of Saints and Sojourners

It's All Saints' Day and it's also the start of National Blog Post Month, and I care about both. November 1 is one of my favorite holidays because I have long loved the notion that "we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses." We are all the sum of our experiences, our genetics, and our relationships. I am so very grateful for the people who have shaped all of those for me. Tomorrow morning in worship we'll attempt to create some space for remembering those we've loved who are part of the Church Triumphant by offering people strips of fabric in autumn colors on which they can write the name or names of those who have died. We'll collect them, and tie the strips to the branches of a shapely, bare tree in the church yard. It'll be a prayer tree. I hope it's well received. There is no shortage of names to write down. I'll likely write down Betsy's name tomorrow. Not a day goes by that I do not recall her smile and zest for living or quote her, recalling her tenacious hold upon recounting that which is of good report. I met Betsy in 2003. She was the clerk of Session at the church I currently serve, and was deeply involved in almost every part of the life of the congregation. She was a dream of a church member and a person who loved deeply. When she passed away, so many women claimed her as their best friend. She made everyone she encountered feel loved. She packed so much living into sixty short years.

There's a hymn that sings of living saints, and I have a slideshow in my head of those folks, too. There's my spouse, who plays with pain every day and works so hard at not letting it interfere with living. There's the woman in Indianapolis who is changing lives every day simply by living out her vow to the rule of St. Benedict. There's my colleague in ministry in New York who has lived the last 40+ years with an abiding concern for the poor and disenfranchised that has transformed thousands of lives. I am so grateful for the journey, and grateful for those whose paths have crossed my own.

Quilt image found here. Path image found here.