Been a long while.... seven years to be exact... since I touched this blog. But, with the world the way it is now this feels like a good time to pick things back up.
COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, is not only in the United States...not only in Missouri...but is now in Boone County and has claimed the first fatality in our area. And yet...things still feel kind of normal? I mean normal, but in a weird way.
On Monday it was announced that our district would be closed beginning at the end of the day on Tuesday and continuing until April 13. Or, at least that is when things will be reassessed. My brain and body were ready for Spring Break and so maybe that is why things seem as if they are normal-ish. I'm confident, however, that as the days go on the new normal will set in and I'll be craving the old.
So, in the coming days I am going to post my thoughts, our activities, and all that sort of thing so that I can have some semblance of control in a world that is topsy-turvy.
Late last night we drove to my family's retreat space on the water. So, I'm taking a break from the writing exercises. Instead I'm going to nap with the dogs, listen to the docks sigh and groan, and maybe do some reading for my comps. I plan on being refreshed.
Our sweet Lucy girl -- part chocolate lab, part doberman. We found her in September and don't know how we enjoyed life before she was with us. I consistently tell Marty that she's the dog I wanted in my single twenties; now almost two decades later we found each other.
This Friday I will have surgery to help with allergies, sleep and other issues. This week I seemed to have been hit with a nesting bug to prepare for the downtime following surgery. The garage is cleaner; we've donated two vans worth of stuff to the church's garage sale.
To be perfectly honest I am a bit worried about the procedure and am not looking forward to the time when I cannot lift anything higher than 10 pounds and will have difficulty drying my hair (can't bend at the waist).
Luckily, I have a sweet husband to care for me in my incapacity. Pray for him!
As a modern mom, I have several rings in the circus of my life.
First, is the ring of family life where I wrangle the beasts through their tricks and shows.
The second ring is where I do that thing God made me to do: counsel teens through life in high school.
Ring number three is the creative and spiritual arena, the place where I develop and nurture myself. Usually this is filled with reading, quilting and quiet time just for me. This ring is often eerily dark and underused.
This summer I'm adding a fourth ring: my doctoral studies. I'm in the thick of the preparatory reading and will start classes in July. If everything goes as planned I'll be called Doc in three years.
As if this isn't enough there are several other rings that involve friendships, extended family and church.
And, just because I can't seem to get enough, I'm adding (really taking it out of retirement) the ring of weight loss. Several years ago, before I met
Pangea Man, I lost over 50 pounds. In the last four I've managed to gain most of it back. So, yesterday I started
Weight Watchers again. It worked well last time and with the newly revamped program I can't play the, "I-already-know-this-and-shouldn't-pay-attention" game. That game sucks and doesn't help me reach goals.
So, there you have it: the rings of my circus.
