Currently (Nov 2014)
I am…I am trying not to say that I am stressed, because I am not. I am ready. But I am nervous. This week, I’m taking a big (& quite last minute) trip with work. It will be challenging, to put it mildly. I’m really trying to zen out a bit today. It’s not easy. This week wasn’t either, but here are some highlights:
Watching: To aid the afore mentioned zen, I watched a bunch of ‘The Affair’ which is rich, intimate, intense. I wanted to finish True Detective, but it’s just too dark for my particular mood. The Newsroom has really picked up too (thank God!) & I got up extra early to watch Homeland before work one morning and I’m so glad I did. Every episode is an emotional rollarcoaster. I love it.
Reading: Not a whole lot this week & I’m sure that’s contributing to my stress. I started Bird by Bird last weekend, and haven’t touched it all week. A combination of brain heaviness, visitors and life turmoil have kept me away. This afternoon, my reading will focus on understanding Syria (for work, but also for me).
Listening: Emma Carmichael was great on the Longform Podcast. I just re-joined Audible & bought ‘Your Voice in my Head’. I remember stumbling across it on a radio late one night, as I drove home from work. Emma Forrest’s reading voice and rich prose transported me to another world. I hope that it’ll soothe this week’s turbulence.
Making: A soul list. I’m a big list maker. This week, I spent a lot of time making lists, ticking things off lists and re-making lists. It’s tricky: feeling productive and accomplished certainly boosts my mood, though the rat race of listing things means that the quick things get done (& endlessly recycled across lists) while the real things that matter (for one’s soul work) get forgotten. This week, I’m going to try to weave in a little soul food among the productivity.
Feeling: Nervous, turbulent, READY. The key to this week is staying calm. Everything I do should be toward that goal.
Planning: my goals & plans for the Christmas break. I don’t want to put too much emphasis on the healing power of time off, but this close to the holiday, it’s hard not to have an eye on the prize.
Loving: One morning, I sat on the couch with my tea and read/wrote all morning. It was undoubtedly the most calming thing I permitted for myself. As if slowing my mind allowed it to unravel everything that mattered, that really truly, mattered. I’ve 4 more tasks to do and then that’s the agenda for today.
Thanks for being here!
C x
