Work! No, Rest! No, Read! No, Make! Wait…

It’s Saturday, Dear Reader, and the end to a week in the life. The full moon was amazing this week; I tried to capture it on my phone’s camera as it sat on some clouds but the picture didn’t quite do it justice.

I’m not even sure I actually managed to capture the moon, because she was really big over those clouds and I wonder if she’s behind the greyish smokey stuff, or if I just pointed the camera in the wrong place.

Which, when you think about it, might be an apt metaphor for some of this past week, Dear Reader. Ugh.

On the other hand, there’s a lot of growth and movement going on, and growing pains are called “pains” for a reason. So I’m going to deliberately focus on the growing part of things, and the good, and the triumph statements, in order to train my brain what to look for.

And do a lot of meditation. Anyone else tried Yoga Nidra yet? Love that stuff.

Books, Books, and More Books

I may be late to the bus, but have you been to your local library lately? Holy cats, they’re amazing places. The one in Bellevue has a makerspace complete with 3-D printers and sewing machines! And you can check out ebooks. I knew that, but never really played with it much. But for some reason, I’ve been going nuts at the library. I mean, come on: you’ve gotta love a place that lets you walk in and walk out with seven or eight books without paying.

Body – Adventures In Moving

My husband and I went over to our local wildlands area, Mercer Slough, and had a wander. My gosh, this area is lovely – and it’s hard to believe it’s smack in the middle of the second-largest city in the state of Washington! The slough is a wetlands area, home to many species of animals and birds as well as an abundance of plant life. And, as we discovered this past summer, lots and lots of bugs.

Luckily, bug-season is over so we were able to wander around unmolested this time and took pictures to our hearts’ content.

My swimming buddy is off to France for ten days, so I’m left to my own devices as far as the gym goes. There’s been a bug going around the office so I didn’t swim yesterday, but I’m determined to get outside and wander around today and get my butt to the gym next week. Anyone up for some accountability partnership? I mean, it’s the week before American Thanksgiving (wait, what???), so I don’t know about you, but my body sure could use some moving around.

Mind – What I’m Reading

Craftfulness: Mend Yourself by Making Things*, by Rosemary Davidson and Arzu Tahsin*

The subtitle of this is what caught my eye – I have been fascinated by this aspect of maker culture since I first started knitting in Y2K. Julia Cameron, in The Artist’s Way*, points out that art is therapeutic, not therapy. This book takes the idea further by blending current understanding of brain science and mindfulness with traditional approaches to craft. There’s something magical that happens when we make things, and this book explores what that “something” is and how to encourage it to happen on purpose.

Fire Cider! 101 Zesty Recipes for Health-Boosting Remedies Made with Apple Cider Vinegar*, by Rosemary Gladstar and Friends

Did you know that herbalism is a radical act? Well, it turns out this is literally true as regards “fire cider,” and after a long court battle to protect the name from being trademarked by greedy corporate interests, this book celebrates the history and modern applications of traditional remedies and recipes. I have been studying herbalism for nearly forty years and this book makes my heart sing. Plus, it’s got more than one recipe for toasted nuts that sounds amazeballs. (Yes, I’ll post pics when I make it.) Definitely worth checking this one out.

Spirit – Mindfulness Practice, or Where Does Writing Come From?

Those of you who have been with me for a while know I’m an adult survivor of child abuse. The journey to healing can be a long one and frustrating, but ultimately I can say that it’s rewarding. I don’t want to sound like the inside of a greeting card with syrupy prognostications of “You’ll get there, Little Birdie,” but I have to believe that healing is possible because my personal survival depends on that sure and certain knowledge.

I’ve talked a lot about The Artist’s Way and have done workshops with others since 2007, and used it personally since 1995, so it’s pretty obvious that I think there’s something to it. It works. So I use it. It’s as simple as that. But in January of this year, I came across iRest Yoga Nidra with Molly Berkholm and it’s quite honestly been life-changing. I’ve meditated my whole life, but the protocols in the iRest method are easy to use and implement. I highly recommend it to everyone but particularly those of us recovering from trauma, of whatever source, and working to heal PTS.

I’ve been journaling all year like it’s going out of style; I’m averaging between 150 and 200 pages a month now. But Story has been slow to come. I’m pleased to say that I sat down on Thursday and got some movement on Ambush, which is Book 4 in the Chicagoland Shifters series. I REALLY want to get this book done and out the door, but it’s been a very slow process. So getting forward movement is so very exciting.

Space – or, They’re Replacing Our Roof

Ugh. I don’t like strangers in my space. A couple months ago, they painted the exterior of our complex. While I like having fresh paint, it was a pain in the neck. We thought the fuss and bother was over but nope! Fresh joy awaits. We’re now into week three of roof replacement, because they’re doing three of the buildings, ours included. Last night, my husband and I went out for date night to a local drive-in eatery (if you’re in the area, check it out, it’s super fun and really yummy; Burgermaster). We came home to find that the ceiling had leaks in the bedroom (three last night plus a fourth that happened during the night) and one in the living room over the couch. Thankfully they didn’t happen over the piano, any of the electronic equipment (computers and such) or art collections (like, say, my journals that are stored in one of the closets) or, gods forbid, the bed! (Blarg.) So all in all, the damage is relatively minor, but holy cats I’m cranky. It’s amazing how de-centering having things go wrong with one’s home can be.

The Week To Come

This is the last full week before American Thanksgiving, and the last round of chelation therapy for my husband, (who has heavy metal poisoning with mercury, barium, and lead). Then comes Thanksgiving week which we had hoped to spend in Philadelphia, but due to price gouging by the airline industry tickets are over $750 USD – PER PERSON – for the holiday week, and that’s not even the whole week. We’d leave like Monday and come back Saturday, not the whole Saturday to following Sunday thing I’d wanted to do.

So, enter Plan B: we will go out to visit family in February/March, weather depending, when tickets are more reasonable – and it’s my husband’s birthday in February anyway, so there’s that. We will still take the week off, as originally planned, only spend it doing an actual staycation – since we haven’t had a vacation in three years, we’ll spend it being tourists in Seattle. We’re taking a friend from out of town to Bainbridge Island to explore the shops and have lunch – and ride the ferry, of course! – and then an underground tour of Seattle. We’re planning a whale-watching ride and some other things as yet to be determined. But I plan to be a tourist the whole week – complete with camera and travelogue. I’m so excited.

What about you, Dear Reader? What’s going on in your world?

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