Image via Wikipedia
I’m not big on schedules and structures, though I would like to be. I admire those who create their own schedules and stick to them as well as those who accept institutional structures that tell them where to be, what to do, when to show up and how long to stay. I, on the other hand, am one of those people who is often held hostage by my artistic temperament. In fact, I can quickly become resentful of any person or institution that tells me what to do or when to do it Continue reading
This past week, I found myself on the road again. My family and I took an emergency road trip to my husband’s home town. Though, not a pleasant reason to travel, I suddenly remembered how much I like the actual process of traveling.
When I was a kid, we traveled a lot. My parents being from the Czech Republic, we went to Europe often. We also moved a bunch, four new houses in three different states by the time I was ten!
Image via WikipediaIt’s become more and more apparent to me that I’m a child of the 80′s. I may have been born in the late 60′s but my high school and college years spanned the full spectrum, 1981-1989. Not only do I remember the Reagan years as the “all about me” years but I can hear just about any 80′s tune and know precisely where I was and who I was hanging out with at the time of it’s release.Now, I don’t think this makes me a pop junkie necessarily but it does tell me about who I was then and who I am becoming now. So much of the 80′s was about image and I mean big time! We had big hair, big boots, big earrings and big wallets full of money. Not only did we waste a whole lot of time at the Mall, we worked there too!
There’s a strange saying going around my house. Perhaps you may have heard it too? It sounds a bit whiny and even nasal at times. It’s often followed by a gasp, annoyed intonation or a rolling of the eyes. Yes, you guessed it, it sounds like this: “But I don’t feel like it! ”This exacerbated adolescent response to just about anything from picking up socks, feeding the dog, taking out the garbage or doing homework seems to be a staple for today’s teenager. Similar to the “terrible two’s” when every request is followed by an accentuated “No! ” yet strangely unattractive coming from an over-sized child. Not sure how this happened, but very sure that “not feelinglike it” is an epidemic amongst kids this age who, for one reason or another, want “to feel” rather than “do!”My friend, whose ancestors come from Ghana and who was raised in England, is quite baffled by the typical American teenager. This high emotional intelligence seems to trump all other things, especially anything requiring the least bit of effort. Why these same kids who are quick to diagnose fellow studentswith “anger issues” or “ADD/ADHD” or “depression” but can’t get a simple task done without “feeling like it” first, is a mystery to me!
Image by Yang and Yun's Album via Flickr
I don’t like to exercise! I mean, the thought of intentionally moving my body is so unappealing that I’d rather just forget the whole thing. As a youngster, I was quite athletic. In fact, in high school, I made the varsity tennis team as an incoming freshman! I guess, now, left to my own devices, I’d just much rather write at my computer or read a book.
Luckily, my metabolism has cooperated most of my life so I’ve gotten away with sitting around much longer than some. Unfortunately, however, I’m becoming painfully aware that my metabolism is changing and that having some kind of a daily exercise routine is definitely in order.
Saw the movie Adjustment Bureau and liked it a lot! It made me think about all the times I forced myself to do something or accomplish something without my heart being truly in it. Like the many sales jobs I’ve had over the years and just didn’t believe in the product. It didn’t matter how much team building I did or how many product showcase events I attended, if I didn’t care, I just couldn’t sell it!
A similar epiphany occurs to the main character of this movie, played by Matt Damon, who is on the road to a successful presidential bid when he discovers his true love, played by Emily Blunt. Also on the road to a successful future as a dancer/choreographer, she is suddenly awakened to a new side of herself. Both freaked out by what this love might mean for their futures, they find themselves moving from a semi-rewarding unconscious life to a conscious life that brings them both passion and havoc.
Image by patrmach via Flickr
Last weekend marked the end of yet another season of basketball for my daughter. An unusually demanding season, I still found myself looking forward to not just watching her play but to cheer and gab with other parents. It started out as any other season except that I seemed much more emotionally involved regarding the outcome of each game. Not a competitive person by nature, I had my share of competitive tennis growing up. I remember enjoying the mantra of hitting and receiving the ball on my racquet but very little interest in winning, or so I thought.
Image via Wikipedia
Last Friday, I attended something called the Spiritual Spa at the Carondelet Center in St. Paul. I was hoping to get some time to just relax, draw, journal, whatever. I ended up getting some of that and so much more Before lunch, we, the Spiritual Spa participants, were invited to collect ourselves in a room for a directed meditation by a nun from the Center. She told us about her idea of dusting off the old Beatitudes in the Bibleand making them her own.