Reading: An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden
Watching: Ballykissangel, Series 3
Listening to: Joe Purdy & Joshua James
Excited about: My birthday trip to the Poconos with the fam!
Loving: This new-found gorgeous New England weather. Be full-time now, Spring!
Haunting: Polyvore, because playing with new clothes is the next best thing to actually buying new clothes.
that one thing i look forward to every single week
About two months ago, I started horseback riding again.
…And when I say “again,” I feel like that’s sort of misleading, because it might imply some sort of earlier proficiency. Which, I assure you, I have never had. I mean, when I was 10 or 11, I took lessons for a few months. I have this one really great memory of the largest bruise ever, deep purple and blue, crawling up my calf. I think my leg was rubbing up against one of the buckles on the saddle. I thought it was pretty cool. Other than that, I don’t remember much… Most of all, I just remember how much I looked forward to going.
So over the summer, I started watching this Canadian show called Heartland. At the time, I was mired in episodes of SVU and Breaking Bad, so at first, the Pleasant Family Drama aspect seemed pretty boring. But I kept watching, because something was tugging at me. And I ended up falling in love with this fabulous little television show.
I won’t even get into the cheesiness about how I’m pretty sure finding and falling for this show was some weird manifestation of my big summertime Change of Heart (I always hear eerie music when I write that), but one of the things it absolutely inspired me to do was start looking into riding stables again. I have always loved and admired horses (what little girl doesn’t?), and I knew that if I was starting grad school, I was going to have to start doing something to de-stress and stay human.
The stable that I found is wonderful… The family has a background in social work (woohoo!) and they are just super-sweet people. There are 18 lesson horses, who are all lovely and happy and playful. The horse that I ride most often, Sandman, is 32 years old, blind in one eye and completely great. He is teaching me well. The horse pictured up top is the huge and stubborn Apple. I like him a whole lot, too.
Getting to spend an hour every week with these animals, on this farm, is the thing I look forward to most. No matter what else is happening, what I’m worrying about, I always leave my lesson feeling calm and inspired — even when my legs feel like Jell-o, which (no lie) they usually do. My dismount is godawful.
The decision to leave school was really difficult, but I’m learning that I need to spend a lot more time chasing the joyful moments in life. And who wouldn’t be joyful around faces like those..??
(And yes, I’m totally cheating and using Instagram photos!)
Serenity Sunday: Week One
So I’ll be honest — there was a whoooole lot of this this week:
…and I have to say, overall? The first week of the Serenity Project went pretty well on this end!
I cuddled with Jasper. …Because, as you can see, he’s adorable.
I drank a splendid (yes, splendid) amount of Oaked Chardonnay from this place.
I took showers at night and French-braided my hair so that I could get some extra sleep.
I did some journaling, and I read some poetry.
And even though I’m so incredibly cynical about self-help books, I did some gremlin-taming and found myself laughing along.
Sure, maybe I drink a glass of wine often enough, and I sneak 20 extra minutes in bed now and again, and I hang with Jas as often I can… The difference this week was that I did it all with intention. I didn’t waste a single moment feeling guilty for the time I was taking for me. So instead of wasting those precious, peaceful moments by turning them into stressful experiences, I enjoyed every single one.
And I feel better. And I’m keeping it up.
Introducing: The Serenity Project
This is my third post here at GBL, and it crossed my mind that it seems a little bizarrely early to start any kind of “project.” But then I figured — I’ve been blogging for twelve years, so “too early” is definitely relative.
I started thinking about doing this a few days ago, when I realized — fully realized — that I was feeling guilty about taking things slowly lately. I’ve been sleeping in a lot and hanging around the house, and even though I’ve noticed a marked (positive!) change in my attitude and demeanor, I’ve been feeling like it’s wrong, somehow, to not be going 240 at all times. But after the past couple of years of doing just that, I honestly feel like this is just where I am. And if I’m feeling like a homebody, like what I am really loving right now is a hefty dose of quiet time — then why not? What’s wrong with it, anyway? Ive been cooking and baking, my house has been clean, I’ve had time to do my nails and keep up with blogs that I adore… It’s been lovely!
The organization that I work for is big on doing things “with intention,” being fully focused and present. I am clearly loving peace, these days, so for the next three and a half months, through May 31st, 2011, I am going to do one thing every day that brings me serenity. Whether it’s spending an extra twenty minutes in bed with my kitten, curling up to watch an old film, reading a book or enjoying a glass of wine, I’m going to do it intentionally — I’m going to focus and enjoy it. Hey, Jasper does it all the time.
I don’t embrace, often enough, the things that bring me joy. I feel too “caught up,” too stressed, every day. When I really stop to think about it, I find that I feel pressured to live my life the way our culture tells us we should: quickly, busily, cynically. For the next three months, I am determined to find my own beauty in every day, to slow down long enough to refocus and reflect.
I am determined to find moments of joy.
So because I love alliteration (don’tjudgeme), I’m instituting Serenity Sundays, where I’ll take time to reflect on the week past and the moments I was able to engage in. I’m thinking there will be photos. (I have, after all, finally discovered the joys of instagr.am, and I am shamelessly hooked.)
So here goes… I’ll start off by asking:
Where do you find your moments of quiet joy?