My heart is as light as a feather!! Because my two good friends from my childhood came to visit and we explored a bookstore, got coffee at Boulevard Park and even squeezed in a game of disc golf (even though there was frost on the ground). There’s something comforting about seeing familiar faces and having a plethora of embarrassing stories from Middle School. It’s also encouraging to see each of us “grow up” but not adandon the qualities that made us friends so many years ago. 

 

 
Speaking of feathers, it’s almost Turkey Day! I suppose I could make a list of what I’m thankful for, but I found that posting something like that on social media can sound like a brag list. Therefore, I have decided to write thank you notes ala Jimmy Fallon. These are all written in good fun and should be paired with delicious pie. 

 
Thank you, Starbucks red cups, for  remaining a carrier of hot frothy beverages despite the angry Facebook rants. And the angry Facebook rants at the angry Facebook rants.

 

 
Thank you, fellow office workers screaming “No, no, NO!” At the copier, for affirming my own struggles with the copier. It’s nice in this cold, dark world to know I’m not alone.

Thank you, Fleece jogging pants, for never being actual “jogging pants.”

Thank you, Facebook statuses for no longer informing me of people’s everyday activities but rather their political views, unwanted parenting advice, and dogs getting hit in the face with cupcakes. Oh the humanity!

  

 
Thank you, Gluten free cookies, for convincing me that I can have “One more” because they’re healthier.

Thank you, pumpkin spice eggnog, for showing me that I don’t have to choose between holiday flavors. If only the rest of life was this easy!

Thank you, blog readers, for reading and supporting me in this new endeavor. If it weren’t for you, I’d just be journaling. 

Safe travels this week, and show undeserved kindness and generosity to those around you. That’s an order! 😉

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

 

 

-K

 

 

I just finished reading this book:

 

Some “gems” I gleamed from this book were that we can do ourselves great harm by not creating space for good and wonderful activities and things that bring us joy. So yesterday, after Church, I tried it out. My husband and I stopped at a globally-known chain of coffee (it’s a very long chain, they’ve yet to break it) and we ordered Chocolate Peppermint Mocha and Gingerbread Lattes which to our delight were “Buy-one-get-one-free.” BOGO, the tune my bargain loving heart sings to! The barista asked us, exactly one minute after the promotion started “Did you know this was happening??” to which I replied “No!” with a super-duper cheesy grin. I was, in that moment, quite happy and not feeling guilty about my indulgent treat. To top it off, we went for an hour-long leisurely stroll between trees and next to parks and old railroad trellises. There’s a reason hipsters are so darn obsessed with old railroad bridges and such. I wonder if there is a word for being nostalgic for the steam age?

There was a time where I forgot to simply enjoy life. To take moments and savor them like well-brewed coffee.  I’d been running in so many directions and felt pushed by those on sidelines that I expected to cheer me on. I sat in a doctor’s office trying to figure out if it was flu-fatigue-fever-or-You’ve got to take a break. The Doctor simply told me to go home and find a picture of myself as a child and to ask myself, “Would I be this hard on that kid?” and the answer, of course, is “No! that cute kid deserves compassion and empathy, and maybe a good game of tag in the park.” Then it sinks in: You’re still that kid.

At one of my meetings for AmeriCorps last year, we would always start with a question of the week and one of my coworkers brought up the idea of “What did you love as a kid that now you’ve abandoned?” Drama. Piano lessons. Wearing costumes and singing for hours. Checking closets for secret passages to Narnia.

“We can take pride in our discipline, even if our discipline is making us spiritually sick.” –Gary Thomas, Pure Pleasure. 

To be honest, there are many times I forget to simply enjoy life. To enjoy it as a gift from a creator who deeply cares. I think of the people around the world who are out watching sports games, reading books at cafes, and shopping with friends when chaos intervenes. None of us are exempt from the echoes of loss or from the rapturing joy of cheering in a crowd. Both sides of the coin can leave us reeling .

When I think of the people I don’t get to see anymore I wish for more time spent in the simple pleasure of a warm cup of tea or an impromptu walk spent in their company. 

Protest the injustices of the world by living life abundantly and creatively. My friend just taught a class on floral design at a local shop in town. It’s amazing to me that with her hands she can take a pile of assorted blooms, twigs, and greenery and arrange them into a masterpiece that so beautiful my fingers start twitching with the need to paint it.

Maybe a friend needs you to break down the clouds in their life with your kind words in the same careful and patient arrangement needed for a bouquet. Perhaps. Or break dance with your fellow missionaries on the streets of Argentina to celebrate “Well, done my good and faithful servant” like my friend J after months of service.

If you need me, I’ll be checking my closet for Narnia. You’ll know I’m successful if the blogposts stop.

 

-K

 

 

 

This morning I found myself arranging blocks into towers while the baby I nanny repeatedly knocked them over. It was almost as peaceful as watching the waves roll in and out on vacation last week. It’s very refreshing to create and if you’re a toddler it’s very refreshing to destroy. It’s a perfect arrangement, really. Ah, babes.

My family and my husband and I have been through a lot this year. Between my wedding and my Mom passing away from cancer shortly afterwards, every day feels like uncharted territory, both emotionally and mentally. So much has changed, and at the same time each leafy tree fades into brilliant color. It’s not as simple as that, but it’s not yet time for me to write about all of it. Perhaps as the holidays arrive, and we greet 2016 I’ll shake my head at the complexities of 2015. One of the changes is that my sister has started running, something she has vehemently hated since she was a competitive swimmer for 10 years and anytime the coach made them run it was a literal “fish out of water” experience. I’ve started blogging (whaaaaat? No way!) something I’ve always said I would do but got buried under school or work load and abandoned. I usually sneak in writing blog posts when kiddo is napping.

My husband has become OBSESSED with disc golf which requires the patience and technique of golf combined with the whimsical and fast paced skills required of a frisbee disc. The obsession is also fueled by the fact that Cornwall disc golf course is within walking distance with holes reminiscent of scenes from Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. “I call this one council of Elrond!” “Whomping Willow!” It should be noted I’m the only one who names disc golf holes after fantasy books/movies. ok, maybe I’ve become a little obsessed too. 

My Dad has been really motivated to complete home improvement projects. Which now that I think about it, isn’t a change at all since most of my Saturday afternoons during my childhood were my Dad bribing me with a milkshake or hamburger to join him in going to the hardware store. My last visit home he bought new leather couches with built in recliners.

Anyways, for all of you out there staring at dead leaves and sniffing cinnamon flavored things, know that it’s ok to soak up the season. For all of you suddenly embracing a new hobby as a coping mechanism, that’s alright too. Although grief can make you slow down  on certain days, sometimes it’s the fire under your pants that makes you go outside and try something different. A new distraction is not going to save you or make you happy. Small things like pieces of paper with scripture scribbled on them and kind words from people you love and long prayer walks are better suited for that purpose.

One of my mentors in college, Julie, had lost her husband many years before and told me that she stuffed notecards with Bible verses in her pockets and pulled them out when she needed too. It was also her solution to being a Mom running after kids with little quiet time.

I don’t have verses in my pockets right now, but every once in a while nature will strike me with a phenomenon that is spectacular. Not one beyond the comprehension of scientific principles, but a moment that speaks to my heart.

it’s not always something that comes naturally. But right now I have margins in my life. I have hours and minutes on the boundaries of my life just like a book has that blank creamy space for you to scribble. It’s a stark contrast to the days spent pouring over homework or procrastinating homework with made-up busy-ness.

So yes, the blog title is kind of misleading “Back to the Fervor” is not really the truth. My everyday life is much more relaxed than the vacation life (with the exception of reading all day in a beach chair. Nothing beats that). I was compelled to make a Back to the Future pun and now I’m attached to it.

Ok, nap time is over. Unfortunately, no nap for me. The work of a blogger is never done.

If you need me I’ll be vacuuming the beach sand that has leaked from my Jawaii suitcase.

-K