Skip to main content

Year Two, Day 10: Renewing of My Mind

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2




Thirty six years ago today Mt. St. Helens erupted. I was a senior in high school.  Living in Vancouver, Washington. I remember the plume coming from the mountain. I remember a bunch of my friends jumping in my boyfriends truck and heading toward the mountain...(We did not get far!) And I remember about an inch of ash on my car the next day.

Life goes by. Faster and faster each day it seems.

Take today for instance. I allowed myself the luxury of laying in bed longer than usual.  I usual go to teach piano in Salem on Wednesdays, but I took today off. I am in Requiem mode. Plus I have an audition for a community chorus accompanist tonight.  I am ready to not be a church pianist.  I really enjoy having a day of rest on Sunday. And attending a church to worship, not work at.

My plan today was to do my normal prayer, bible study in the morning. And then head to the gym. After which I would stop at the grocery store and buy some ingredients for a slow cooker meal. I do so love cooking in my crockpot!  Well, truth be told, the large crockpot belongs to my daughter. Her birthday present. How embarrassing. I am the one the uses it. I am one of those people that buy presents for people with myself in mind!

But I digress.  I lounged around in the morning, praying, planning the next week, cleaning the kitchen. Made some tea. Got hungry. Heating up some leftover "best chili ever" with polenta croutons.

They were amazing, by the way. Look! 


Best Chili Ever with Polenta Croutons


Anyway, the day was getting away from me. And I REALLY wanted to get to the gym. Listen to me!  I think I have a renewed mind.  In the past, I would say I really NEEDED to get to the gym. But lately I have noticed that I get nervous if the day is getting away from me without any exercise!  

I do procrastinate on the piano practice, but I do hope this Mozart Requiem has taught me something about preparation!

I do digress a lot...

So finally, I made my grocery list and headed out the door to the bus stop. But alas, I had just missed the bus. The next one was not due for about 20 minutes. I looked across the street. I could go to the little convenience stoor, or the coffee cart for an iced coffee. And then , BOOM! Thunderbolt! Deja vu!  I remember being in this same situation about a year ago. Early on in my quest for self improvement.  I remember even taking a picture of myself with an iced coffee.

So here I am today.  May 18, 2016. Iced coffee with soy milk and sugar free coconut syrup. Yum!



I had a nice workout on the treadmill at the gym. About 25 minutes. And some stretching. I am walking faster these days. Actually working up a sweat!

Then I headed to the grocery store. On the menu today is cauliflower with cheese sauce, and chicken breasts in a creamy, sherry mushroom sauce. With a big, fat Greek salad on the side.  

The chicken and cauliflower are in separate crockpots. The house smells divine! But I must add, the cooked cauliflower smells like dirty socks, so I have an electric wax diffuser going. Hopefully the apple pie scent will mask the cauliflower. I also have some rice cooking.

I went through my blog and I found the picture at the same bus stop last year. It was taken May 19, 2015. Almost a year ago to the day!  

My memory is not as foggy as I thought!

Here I am at the bus stop drinking iced coffee with rice milk and sugar free vanilla syrup on May 19, 2015:



On that note, I think dinner is ready!

Happy Wednesday!


















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Year Four, Day 328: Success at Last!! This is What I Do

Hello My Long Lost Friends! Or, perhaps it was I who was lost? And now I think I am beginning to find myself!  Under layers of fat, and self loathing!  How's that for an opening line!  Or perhaps the title of a novel:  Layers of Fat and Self-Loathing! Today I stepped on the scale.  I am weighing myself every morning these days. I was shocked! I told my partner the scale must be broken!  Yesterday I weight 186. Today 185! I have been on a strict intermittent fast for the past 10 weeks. I have officially lost 12 pounds!  And the best news is I think I not only can stick to this way of eating, I am actually beginning to really enjoy it!  And look how far I've come! I've been writing since May 12, 2015.  Over 8 years now!  I know this blog post says Year Four, Day 328, but there have been many pauses in blogging. For instance, when I am not pleased with progress or simply have no words! I was 53 when I first began blogging. I am now 61. I honestly feel better than I did 8 years
Post a Comment
Read more

Year Four, Day 335: "Crisis Fatigue"

Hello Friends! I have missed you! I have been so utterly exhausted and downright depressed, that I couldn't summon enough energy to even lift my fingers to this computer keyboard to write.  Apparently there is a mental disorder for people going through crises.  Crises such as pandemics, systemic racism, political division, unemployment, police brutality, civil unrest.... It's called "crisis fatigue". When humans are presented with a threat, adrenaline is released to give us quick energy. This is called the "fight or flight syndrome". But when threats are overwhelming, and perceivably continuous, like this year, it overwhelms the system. People can feel numb, depressed, anxious and irritable. Yup. That's me.  I guess I'm quite normal after all! I found an interesting article that describes crisis fatigue, especially in relation to current events.  But it doesn't really address how to take care of ourselves during these unsettling times!
1 comment
Read more

Year Two, Day 313: Most Excited Am I!

I almost started today's blog with my standard, "Most tired am I" And I am. So tired. And ready for spring.  But tonight when I got home, my wonderful housemate told me that I had a package waiting for me on the counter.  So I ran in and found the book I had been waiting for: Open Mind, Open Heart , by Thomas Keating. Most excited am I! I put a bag of popcorn in the microwave, filled my water and was heading downstairs to open my new book - but I had to detour around the cat who had just killed and attempted to eat a spider. Good kitty! :) I ordered this book the day that I was inspired to turn my introversion into a positive. To use it as a stepping stone to a deeper relationship with God. To go up to the next level in my spiritual path. Thomas Keating is known as "The leader within the Catholic world in the task of recovering our Christian contemplative heritage" Ewert H. Cousins, General Editor, "World Spirituality, An Encyclopedic Hist
3 comments
Read more