(not necessarily in that order)
We had every intention of attending Sunday service this morning.
But it was a lovely day; our patio garden is really coming together; and neither of us could remember the last time we spent such a relaxed morning together on a Sunday.
It was blissful.
“DO NOT SCHEDULE ANYTHING (S.T.O.)!
This is what we wrote in our calendar for today and tomorrow (by the way, S.T.O. = Sacred Time Off).
We’ve been really (and I do mean really) looking forward to this, to the point where we had to laugh at ourselves for being sooo excited about (drum roll, please!) — a weekend!
But the reality is that working for a church means you rarely have a leisurely Sunday morning off. And our Saturdays are often filled with retreats or special events or — most recently — recording sessions.
Monday is our official “day off,” but that’s also when we drive to town and run errands, though we do try to carve out time together over coffee or a meal.
So, yeah. This is exciting!
The stock photo above represents the vision I have for my butterfly bush — big blossoms covered with beautiful butterflies!
In reality my bush has been slow to flower and I haven’t seen much in the way of butterflies (as in none, although bumblebees are regular visitors to other flowers in my container garden).
So, I was thrilled the other morning to notice a butterfly on my butterfly bush!
Until I realized that the reason I could get so close without it flying away is that the butterfly had been captured by a spider and was already a goner.
Oh well, I guess spiders have to eat, too.
I was out for my morning walk, glanced up at this tree, and came to an abrupt stop.
After all, it’s the height of summer, with temperatures once again approaching triple digits. And yet, there it was — a reminder that summer really doesn’t last forever.
And neither does anything else on this physical plane.
I had kind of a rushed morning, so when I got to the office I felt the need to sit quietly for a few minutes in meditation.
By the time I finished my screensaver had kicked in…and these were the photos that greeted me — all in a row — when I opened my eyes.
I felt Master’s and Swamiji’s loving presence so strong in that moment.
And what a blessed moment it was.
I hope it gives you some chuckles as well, because that’s all I’ve got tonight (in the interest of achieving an early bedtime).
I did a quick share of this on Facebook this morning, but seeing as how it remained in my mind and on my heart throughout the day, I realized I had more to say about it.
First of all, I’ve been loving the poems of John Roedel since I discovered him during the pandemic. His words have touched me deeply over the years, and today’s poem was no different.
I’ve been reflecting on how this poem has a very “both/and” perspective — something that is so lacking in the world right now. The ability to acknowledge how things are, but at the same time, refusing to let the craziness overwhelm us or cast us down into despair. It’s definitely a delicate balancing act.
Anyway, the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that — in times like these — being kind and gentle, and going easy on ourselves and others, is a powerful and radical act.
Enjoy the poem.
there’s no handbook
for any of this
there are no hard and
fast rules for times
like these
~ you’re doing the best you can
holding things together
while the world falls apart
in this age of fear and fret
you don’t need to be perfect;
you just need to be gentle
~ with yourself and everyone else
because that’s all you
can really control, isn’t it?
yes, things might unravel a
bit more before this is
all done
~you might come undone as well
and it’s okay if
you do
because
while the world
is resetting
it’s router
we can take turns
deciding who gets
to cry on the couch
we can take turns becoming
a balm for one another
we can take turns yelling
up into the silent sky
we can take turns
having insomnia
we can take turns being
confessionals for one another
we can take turns brushing
the tears off of each other’s face
we can take turns inviting
the butterflies to swarm us
my love,
don’t worry about getting
all of this right
you won’t
don’t worry about making
mistakes
you will
~ you’re doing the best you can
and
remember
there is only one great commandment for
enduring a year like this one
~ and that commandment is this:
go easy,
my love,
go easy
~ john roedel
(art by the wonderful Tricia Robinson Art)
In all fairness, the week leading up to today was filled with lots of “doing.” In addition to the usual rehearsals and emails and meetings, we had a music team retreat, plus another day of recording. So I was understandably tired today.
In fact, once I got home from Sunday service, I was DONE. As in kaput, fried, and just plain exhausted. With no desire to do anything, even though I had created a longish list of tasks that I (rather foolishly) thought I would tackle this afternoon — HA!
So, now you can see why this meme spoke to me today.
We had hoped to finish up the Christmas album today, but — as is often the case when recording — it all took longer than anticipated.
So, we’ve got one more session scheduled for later this week, and that really should do it.
Of course, we always manage to have quite a bit of fun in the process. Prashad might look innocent, but he’s the one who had everyone cracking up!
I described yesterday as feeling like I was on strike.
But after thinking it over, I’ve decided it was more like I had stumbled into a deep pit from which I couldn’t seem to extricate myself.
It wasn’t like I was sad or depressed or anything. I simply couldn’t summon the oomph to get myself out again.
So, I’m glad to report that today I was able to climb right out of the abyss…and actually get things done.
Phew! Very glad to be back.