Skip to main content

Loving the Change of Pace

I've decided that one reason we set new year's resolutions is because we have about a week between Christmas and New Year's Day when we have a change of pace, a chance to slow down and reflect.  I love to plan, but I don't like to be rushed, so having a week to have ideas percolate in my brain is refreshing. The thoughts are still rattling around up there, so I'm not ready to take a leap and publicly declare change--don't rush me, remember?--but I am enjoying quiet time.

In some ways, though, my house is noisier.  My brother and his wife and kids are staying with us for a few days.  His oldest child is years younger than my youngest, so we are enjoying having young children in the house.  One of their favorite games is guessing which cousin will wake up first.  We just laughed when we were told that my brother's oldest woke my oldest up by saying, "It's 8:30!! Why aren't you up? Are you sick????"  After a week of college finals, I think it's OK to still be in bed at 8:30. 

Even with young ones running around, I've found time to immerse myself in a new book.  I love to read, but don't finish nearly as many books as I did when I was younger.  Yesterday, I read "The Best of Friends," which John's mom gave me for Christmas.  It made me think of my friends and the various paths our lives have taken.  For many of my friendships, time and distance have taken their toll (facebook notwithstanding),  yet I imagine I could catch up with the amazing women I call friends without too many awkward silent pauses. 

Thankful thought:  Thanks for friends, both those I have had the pleasure of knowing since childhood, and those who are more familiar with my adult life.  Each of you has been a wonderful example to me.

Comments

  1. MARTHADecember 28, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    I remember our walks, friend. Happy reflecting this week. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street.  While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...
5 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: Oregon Edition, Part 3

  A western bluebird, sitting at the base of a house window, looks inside Thanks (1) to those who have sent well-wishes for my mom's recovery. Her wrist is healing up nicely. I met a friend from high school for lunch this past week. It was so nice to have a chance to visit with her for a couple of hours. She is one of those friends who it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we can pick right back up into meaningful conversations. Lunch ended all too soon, but I'm so thankful (2) for her, and I'm thankful (3) that she reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others.  Being in my parents' home this week, visiting with a long-time (I'm not saying old!) friend, and with Mother's Day tomorrow, my mind naturally reflects upon the women in my life. I'm thankful (4) for an incredible mom--a gentle woman who taught and loved and guided us (and still does.) I'm thankful (5) for grandmas who were different in their personalities but united in their...
3 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: I Should Blog More Often

  Tall red poppies bloom against the brick remains of an old homestead A couple of weeks ago, John and I hiked in Alpine, Utah, to see the poppy gardens near the old Lambert homestead. We knew if we waited, we would miss the peak of the flowers. One minute, flowers are blooming, and the next minute, that particular floral show is over until next year.  The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop runs every week, but sometimes I miss the boat and don't get a post composed. I find, though, that those weeks that I do join in, I'm more apt to look for (and find!) the good in life--regardless of whether it was a "good" week or a "bad" week. Just as taking time to hike pays off with a beautiful view, taking the time to share ten things I'm thankful for pays off with a feeling of peace, satisfaction, and gratitude.  The past three weeks have been spent at home. It's been so nice to catch up on things here. The air conditioner cools the house again, we've taken ...
3 comments
Read more