Monday, May 31, 2004

hurrah for my ownself!

Any one else out there a procrastinator? [Lisa raises her hand] I'm happy to report I've finally started a job I've been putting off for 5 months.

Whew. I had a really bad dream about it last night - that's what finally motivated me. It's kind of sad that I'm motivated by people getting angry at me, but there's the truth.

On a different note, I'm both looking forward to what came out of the men's Path Workshop this past weekend and delighted by the idea of holding something inside, not talking about it, until it's the right time for it to come out (see Idelette's blog for background). In my opinion, there is a fine line between sharing blessings and sharing them too early. I often err on the too early side and steal the power of 'pondering things in my heart' (bonus points for those that can pin point that scripture reference).

shalom to each of you - and to me.

Friday, May 28, 2004

mmmmmmm!

I am glad God made beer.

I am also glad that he made Crowded House. Or at least he made a bunch of people who decided to play together as Crowded House.

Happy Friday!

Thursday, May 27, 2004

practicing to be present

I am part of a small on-line forum on contemplative life. Have a read of this quote over at Onehouse. It's a long post, so go over there and read it.

Oh my, that quote really hit home. I am one of those who is seduced by thoughts of more exciting things over there, greater ideas over here, a more glamourous life over in Europe (Asia, Africa, etc). The idea of choosing to stay in one place, not because I have no where else to go, but because it is where I need to be right now, is liberating.

One of the habits I've picked up (don't know whether it is family, culture or both), is living forward. What will I be doing tonight? Where might I be next year? How do I react right now so that I become a better Christian/lawyer/person. When I think about being present right here and now, all the burden I feel of performing seems to lift. I practice yoga weekly and one of the greatest gifts of yoga, in my opinion, is being present right at that moment in time. Doing the posture so I can be in touch with my body as it is today, not doing the posture so I can eventually do it better. On the risk of going on a tangent, I think Buddhism does this better than Christianity. What I'm realizing through this group, is that this present-ness, to coin a word, is in Christianity too - just not in the modern, western, evangelical strain.

Shalom to all. It has just finished pouring with rain here. I love it.

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

somethings you instinctively know..

...like when a man is flirting with you. What fun!!!!

Amidst the tiredness of my day, that was a welcome break.

Friday, May 07, 2004

'round and round the mulberry bush

Thus ends the radio silence.

I've had lots on my mind in the last couple of weeks and have been processing internally. I'm still not sure about the public nature of blogs and what I'm willing to post for the world to see. Actually, it's not the world I worry about, it's the people close by.

One of the major themes I've been thinking about [again] is how the adage "To thine ownself be true" fits in with a Christian world view. I've started this next sentence 4 times over and in doing so, have realized that no matter what I say or do, it's okay to make mistakes. I don't need to get it "right", for there isn't necessarily a 'right' or 'correct' way of doing things. In the last couple of weeks, I've bumped up against my old rules and behaviour Christianity and I've got a few bruises. Rather than rules, I'd like to think of responsiveness. Actually, I'd like to think of going and hiding, but that's only a short term option. Hey - what's wrong with running and hiding?!?!?

Sigh. Confusion seems to be reigning these days. Rather than over spiritualize that, maybe I'll just go take a couple of days off. Big picture, Lis. Stay with the big picture.