Underwater

Since the pandemic, walking has been my main exercise and while I really enjoy it and enjoy listening to podcasts as I walk, I just feel a bit landlocked.

Even thought I felt fatigued and as if I didn't have enough time, I did get an opportunity to go swimming today. Couldn't find my good goggles and one of my flip flops is missing but I have back-up goggles and back-up flip flops. Not ideal but as the 'Fugee likes to say now -- good enough.

Unbelievably, It's been two years... Tried to do freestyle on my first trip down the lane and couldn't do it so I did the backstroke for awhile and then told myself to calm down and breathe and I was able to feel comfortable with my head underwater. Swimming was definitely relaxing...

During my morning walk the other day, saw four goldfinches emerge from this area by the sidewalk with coneflowers and some other puffy, purple flowers.

Further along I saw a hummingbird, several cardinals, a robin and who knows what else. A few delightful moments during this wild ass time in the world and in my life. 

It's hard to believe that it's 2022 with all this fascism and misogyny. 

Word Of The Day

Stopped by Rooster after work yesterday and got a veggie burger. After exiting saw a familiar face who could have been one of two people. Cocked my head and not sure if I stared but Lizzie stopped. Where do I know you from? she asked.

I know Lizzie from outdoor yoga and I immediately started thinking about restoration and Qigong.

Lizzie's aura is full of yummy energy and when I stepped into her energy field, I got an immediate buzz.

Love yummy energy. Is there a bumper sticker with that on it?

I've been doing retreat research and even thought about grabbing one of those Chicago Biggest Loser Resort Groupons. Expensive... If I were to go on a retreat, Omega and Kripalu would be high on my list though.

At any rate, found some interesting things in my research. Saw this article about 25 Minutes of Silence and would love* to try it out with a group of people. Would also love to participate in a day long retreat. Love the concept. Maybe I'll develop my own version.

Some other things that I loved today:

*Getting an email with this signature: Have a ridiculously amazing day.

*Reading Anne Lamott's "Everyone Is Screwed Up, Broken, Clingy and Scared"

2. Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

9. Food: Try to do a little better.

The 'Fugee borrowed stamps from me and returned them today. I really like the stamps. I knew that you would  said the 'Fugee.

*Guess love is my word for the day.

Wait-And-See

When I set out this morning on the Riverfront Trail, didn't know how much stamina I'd have but took a wait-and-see approach.

One thing's for sure -- if I make it to North Riverfront Park at about the 7.5 mile mark, it's hard to turn around because the finish line is visually close. Got to North Riverfront and kept on trucking. Also bicycled over the Chain of Rocks Bridge which added another mile so I ended up bicycling 23.6 miles. I was inspired by one of my colleagues who also adores the Riverfront Trail. She usually goes over the Chain or Rocks Bridge and into Illinois for another three miles or so.

Right before I started my ascent up the sizable hill before crossing over to the bridge, saw these two yellow birds flying side by side. It was such a pleasant surprise. On my way back, I saw two of the turkeys that hang out around mile six. Hadn't seen them in weeks...

Get Your Kicks On...

Lori joined the 'Fugee and me for Friday night at the movies and we all managed to stay away for Like Father, Like Son, an excellent Japanese film which is still with me. I definitely wouldn't mind watching it again.

As we viewed Like Father, Like Son, I thought about Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown which I like more than No Reservations. One of the episodes of Parts Unknown focuses on Japan's nightlife when the usually reserved Japanese or not so reserved.

As I bicycled, listened to my workout playlists and podcasts. Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers is a conversation with Anne Lamott and is a part of the Los Angeles Public Library's Aloud* series.

Haven't listened to the entire podcast but here are the three essential truths according to Lamott:

We are all ruined. We're so loved. We're in control of so little.

I've been hearing messages about "control" lately and I'm fascinated...

*Thanks Gingerzingi for recommending Aloud.

Where Your Butt Is Right Now

I have a half-filled journal that has inspirational quotes or portions of articles which I haven't laid hands on in ages but I went hunting for it this morning because half of the articles are excerpts from Anne Lamott's former Salon column Word by Word.

A Bad Thing Happened at the Beach

Diving Into The Wreckage

Into The Mouth of the Cave

Into Thin Mud

Jesus and the Lemon

The Things We Carry

I only cut out one line from her essay My Secret Body since I so related to that line at the time:

I was once again the world's oldest toddler.

This young lady, Ena, told me that Lamott would be in town. At first, I didn't feel like going but I've read several of Lamott's books and had never seen her before. I felt it was time to unplug anyway so I headed downtown last night.

The clergyman who greeted everyone to the Christ Church Cathedral was very welcoming. He invited people to not only look around later but to come back saying that it was our house and what a beautiful house it is...

Lamott is engaging and funny. She invited late folks to come to the front of the cathedral (with the other latecomers) saying that they could be closer to the M & M's and Hershey's Kisses. It was Lamott's birthday and I'm assuming the M & M's came with the balloons.

Lamott covered a lot of ground -- talked about three things she did to raise her son right (raised him in a church in the presence of multi-racial and multi-generational people, was sober and didn't get him a Nintendo) and she talked a lot about friendship and the grace of God in friendships.

During the Q & A, someone asked Lamott about her dimply thighs that she wrote about in Traveling Mercies. A light bulb finally went off in Lamott's head when she asked a dying friend if her thighs looked okay in a dress and her friend told her you just don't have that kind of time.

Radical self-love came out of Lamott's mouth a lot. I also dug other things she said:

If you're not okay at 180 pounds, you're not going to be okay at 140.

You're only going to be okay where your butt is right now.

I'm so militant about self-care and self-love.

Diets will make you fat and crazy if you're not doing the spiritual work.

Some days are just going to be too long.

I just want to give people my strength, my light...

There's comfort in self-love and there's comfort in quiet.

We are preapproved.

A woman asked Lamott's advice on how to help the people in her life without being completely drained. Lamott took that time to tell people that she would not personalize books. She said I have an old hand and if I personalize books, I won't get back to my hotel room until 10:30 p.m. She did tell people that they could write whatever they wanted and she would sign it.

Lamott addressed the woman's question by saying, in part, that no is a complete sentence and that so many sweet women get caught up in being the flight attendant for the world.

How do you take care of yourself and do you feel as if you are preapproved? Who inspires you?