Summer and the Summer Moon Above
Monday gratefuls: Leo. Still here. Luke. Tal. Sagittarius Ponderosa. Herme. Ann. Parchment paper. Gracie. Korea. Becoming a Jew. A pilgrim life. Seeking truth in the moment. Life. Great Sol. Herme. Cold Mountain. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Herman Melville. Hawthorne. William Cullen Bryant. Emerson. Whitman. Dickinson. Frost. Stevens. Oliver. Rumpelstiltskin. Knickerbockers. Rip Van Winkle. Ravens. Corvids. Crows. Magpies. Poe. The American Renaissance. Thoreau. Unitarians and Universalists. Christians.
Sparks of Joy and Awe: American literature
One brief shining: I have three cast iron pans big skillet, little skillet, and a griddle on which I love to cook breakfast with a pat of butter sizzling, throw on sliced potatoes, a couple of eggs, maybe some olives stuffed with garlic if I’m feeling fancy a six on the induction cooktop until the potatoes brown nicely and the eggs firm up, slide them off onto my plate for a preworkout meal.
Not sure how I’ve done it but my days have begun to feel full, no holes like those afternoon doldrums of the last few months. As I prefer it. Part of it? Writing Herme. Reading Korean history. But I suspect also the gradual increase of my thyroid meds bringing me closer to where I need to be. I pay attention to how I live my life, both conscious and unconscious actions during the day, over time. Try to understand what drives me. Especially when a disturbance in the force knocks me off course.
Working out plays a significant role in my sense of well-being. As a mood lifter, which it always is, but also as a sign of self care. That I’m doing what I can for my health. It becomes a floor to everything else for that week. Oh, yeah. I worked out. Feels good on a physical and psychic level.
Reading, too. Serious reading. Doesn’t have to be for an enthusiasm, but it helps if it is. A workout for the mind. Right now serious reading includes research for Herme, Korean history, reading for conversion, reading for my Israel trip, going for a deep understanding of the American far right and our current political situation, mussar. When I’m keeping my intellect sharp, I feel good.
Taking classes. Right now acting class. Mussar. MVP. Various CBE opportunities. But the Korean, too. And I want to get back to calculus at some point. Challenging my overall skill sets makes me feel good. I still have traction, not just following familiar ruts. I’ve also got sumi-e and painting. Not trying to master any of these, going for the best I can do. Enough. Maybe they’re hobbies?
Cooking. Maybe breakfast 3 to 5 times a week. A full evening meal 2 to 3 times. Healthy snacks. Trying to stay close to the Mediterranean lane. Sometimes right by it, sometimes straying into the past. But taking care of myself. Laundry and picking up around the house. Book piles don’t count. Having the house cleaned. Having Vince come over and mow, do other outside chores. Paying bills. Keeping up with my docs and meds.
Planning travel. Offers some interesting changes to look forward to. Leaving home. Coming back.
Meals out with friends and family. Zoom connections on a regular basis with those faraway. Showing up.
Good sleep hygiene. Maintaining 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night.
There’s also a category of activity I’ll call inner work. Not prayer nor meditation. Though it can be either or both at times. Mostly it’s about being kind to myself, treating myself with compassion. Even my inner critic. There, there. I know how you can be, but look how far we’ve come anyhow. Accepting my own death. My own limits. Shrugging off moods if they get too grippy. Or leaning into them, unmasking the boogiemans my psyche insists on creating on occasion.
Perhaps I’ll find a way to encourage the burning away of all of these that aren’t love. As I still believe I did accidentally discover the purpose of life. Somebody had to. Why not me?