What I've Read This Month...
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
The Lentiest Lent I Ever Lented
Lent has begun; the period of forty days, not counting Sundays, prior to Easter. Traditionally Lent has been a time of sacrifice and introspection. For some it seems to be about giving up something. For others it is about focusing on God. For me it is about making a change that enables me to better focus on my physical and/or spiritual and/or mental best.
Anyone remember Lent last year? It was the lentiest Lent I have ever lented. (For my Muslim friends it was followed by the most ramadany Ramadan they ever ramadanned.) And it seemed to be more about giving up than about focusing on being a better version of me. In some ways it feels like last Lent is still going on, though over the course of the year I have been able to shift from what has been taken away to what I have been able to add.
The early days of last week, when I usually finalize my plan for my own Lenten practice, I realized that continuing what I'm doing daily in this season of pandemic is plenty. Surprisingly, I didn't have to convince myself it was enough. Thankfully I didn't feel like I was cheating. These days, weeks, and months have been hard. The habits I have added to my life I am thankful for. There is plenty I continue to give up.
The lenty feeling won't evaporate when Easter arrives this year, but the light at the end of the tunnel will be even brighter than it is today.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Message Sent. Message Received.
SCENE 1: February 10, evening
Brushing my teeth before climbing into bed, I pondered what "This or That?" question to use in the all staff meeting the following morning. Chocolate is where my brain kept taking me. I know I have asked chocolate questions before so what else could I ask? Valentine's Day is almost here is where my brain went next. And then I was back to chocolate.
SCENE 2: February 11, morning
At the stroke of eight I asked the boxes on my screen, "Flowers or Chocolate?" and sent them into their Breakout Rooms for two minutes. In the magic of Zoom they all appeared two and a half minutes later to find a slide, "♥️ for flowers or 🎉 for chocolate".
As the votes popped up I continued administrative duties in the background and couldn't get to my reactions. "Flowers would be my vote this year, so imagine a red heart for me."
SCENE 3: February 14
During dinner my gaze is continually draw to the 25 roses arranged in the glass vase on the table.
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
It's Been A Minute
It's been a minute! Anyone who is living during this time does not need me to explain how the usual became the unusual (or nonexistent) and how the unfathomable became reality. This has been my experience in more ways than I probably realize while we are still in the midst of it.
Last week I thought, "I'll start writing now so that the Tuesdays of February slowly get my blogging muscles back in shape before March arrives."
And then my internet went out.
Of course I had left the blogging until the last thing I was going to do before I went to bed. I did jot a few notes in my writing notebook and chuckled at how used to things not going as planned has come to be what I expect.
Now it is a week later, barely mid-day, and I am writing a slice and looking forward to commenting on other slices in this community of writers.
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