It’s been 6 weeks since I written anything. What have I been up to?
Musical Theater
My kids got an opportunity to be in the King and I at the local high school. Or that’s what I thought. They actually got invited to a soul-crushing odyssey of rejection. It was a total train wreck. Upside: I’ve memorized all the words to “Getting to Know You.” I just don’t sing it out loud. Too painful.
Christmas
Santa came. It was perfect. Every Christmas we say, “Best Christmas Ever!” Whether it is or not. It was good. I got a waffle maker.
Girls Night Out
I actually made a plan. To go out. It was amazing. I went out. I stayed out. I ate a bucket of popcorn. When you are a suburban mom of 2 you take your excitement where you can. I went to see Sisters with my good friend Jeannine. I’d been waiting for months to see it and she was just the person to see it with (twisted sense of humor like me). My favorite line: “My safe word is Dow Jones Industrial Average”.
Bowling at the White House
I know, you’re like, “Wait, what?” I just got done telling you how I never do anything fun, rarely leaving the house (Target doesn’t count) and then I drop that on you. After New Year’s we went down to DC for my Grandmother’s 100th birthday. Woo-hoo! A family reunion that included delicious food, (Lebanese Taverna, Hill Country), lights at the Zoo, a second Christmas, the Irving Penn exhibit and an invitation to bowl at my cousin’s “work”, AKA, the WH.
I Gave Up Exercise*
I decided I need to stop obsessing about fitness and just believe I was healthy no matter what I did. I felt so much happier, and free. I got a Fitbit for my birthday and I love it. It made me realize that you can be “exercising” all day and not even notice. I started appreciating walking around the grocery store or going up and down the stairs to do the laundry. At Christmas, my husband got a Fitbit. Then, at “Second Christmas” my kids got UNICEF Kid Power Bands, WHICH ARE AWESOME and you should all get them. Now we all look for ways to rack up steps.
*Except for Spin, Jazzercise, and Yoga. I’m not saying I don’t workout, I just don’t make it mandatory.
Thirty Inches of Snow
Oh, and it snowed a whole bunch. I did my usual, “We’re all gonna die!” thing, and the power didn’t ever go out. Thank God for that, and snow blowers.
Quaker Meditation
I started going to a Quaker meeting house to meditate. You would think for someone who lives in “The Quaker State” I would have had more interaction with the Quakers up to this point. I’ve secretly always wanted to be a Quaker. My roommate in college grew up going to a Friends School and I attended her Quaker wedding. It always struck me how beautifully simple their way of prayer was. So, recently, a few people I know, who had been going to a Wednesday night guided meditation at a nearby meeting house, invited me to go along. I was instantly hooked. I’ve been meditating sporadically for years, but this was different. The readings during the half hour of silent prayer encourage you to explore what’s really going on in your life. To say it’s profound, life-changing is an understatement. Just sitting in that soulful old building, with the lights off, a handmade afghan across your lap, envelopes you in a heavy kind of peace.
So that’s what’s been going on. Oh, and I read, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. I’ll save that for next time.
