Life Renovations

30 Days: 6

(30 Days is a free writing exercise in which a quote is chosen and written about.  Please participate by sharing your comments on the quote.  The idea is that this is an exercise to get our intuitive minds to open rather than writing polished pieces)
 

“Please remember Rule Number 6,” a prime minister quieted two anxious and upset individuals who interrupted his important meeting. 

  They nodded and left the room smiling.

“What is Rule Number 6?” the visiting prime minister asked, astonished at the quick and immediate reactions the mysterious Rule Number 6 brought about.

“It is a very simple rule,” the prime minister said. “Don’t take yourself so goddamn seriously.”

“And the other rules?” asked the guest.

“There aren’t any.”

                                        –Adapted from Zander & Zander’s Art of Possibility

 

   This week, I drenched my treasured new shoes in an icy puddle, tried to make crepes for guests without adding the right ingredients, lost my ever valuable calendar, and forgot an important date.    Banner week, eh?  Well, in all truthfulness it kind of was. 

   While there was the initial “Oh boy” or “Ugh” in each situation, it was not as lasting as it used to be.  I, as many of us do,  used to berate myself, feel like a fool, get flushed, or process and process a scene until it was threadbare.  Those previous responses all got me to the same place, feeling crappier than I did after the initial error.

   Instead, this past week, I thought of Rule # 6, an idea  I had recently used in a couples’ workshop  mentioning the importance of levity in trying moments.  This week I got to put it to the test. 

What happens if we choose not to let a situation get us down?

 What if we choose to see our own folly for what it is…simply folly?

   This  week I laughed at myself, a lot.  I chose Rule #6 (many times).  It wasn’t about not valuing the experience or the honoring my mistake, I simply chose not to dwell on it. And the result was startling.  I laughed all week long (apparently because of the many foibles).  I laughed my way into a meeting with a soaked shoe, relayed the story which led to a meeting kicked off with uproarious laughter.  This led to new inquiries for my business.

   The crepes, after a good chuckle, came out wonderfully and we took pictures documenting success at last.  Losing my calendar, led to an intriguing and thoughtful discussion with my husband about our goals and taking care of each other even in busy times.  And the date?  Once I found my calendar I changed my schedule to be able to attend without any consequence.

Rule # 6 opens us up to being human, and being humane with ourselves and others.  Laugh with me this week.   The next mistake that comes a long, throw back your head and laugh!

Your day will be brighter for it.  Oh and by the way, did I also mention that I spilled water on my new computer twice in one week?  Ha Ha Ha Ha.  Now, I keep a  towel on my desk.  :)

 

30 days:5

(30 Days is a free writing exercise in which a quote is chosen and written about.  Please participate by sharing your comments on the quote.  The idea is that this is an exercise to get our intuitive minds to open rather than writing polished pieces)





 “If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”
            --Robert Browning

     My first thought is that this blog is changing.  It is starting to change as I myself change.  I think it is starting to blend more with my current life, what I think about on a daily basis rather than just being more of a place to come for weekly meditations.  Why is this?
    Maybe because these days I am taking great pleasure in life's simple moments and offerings.    I am falling in love with the day to day of life.  And that is big stuff for someone who has always been more prone to the adventurous side of life.  I am not sure what the impetus is, I just know it feels lovely. 
   In light of that, I learned to bake bread this week.  Here are loaves #4 and #5.    And this bread baking is a part of one of those big times of change.  I awake wanting to make more.  My husband was the inspiration for the process.  Three months ago, when we saw grocery bills sky rocket we decided to take a look at what we consume and what we could make on our own.  He came up with bread.    So for three months he has been making bread 3 times a week with the kids. 
   Then last week, he didn't.  It was one of those busy busy weeks where the tick-tocking moments of the clock get engulfed in some deep crack in the wooden floorboards of our kitchen. Because of this busyness there was no bread.  We had to go to the store to get our bread.
  And it wasn't the same.  I missed knowing that my kids and my husband and been apart of the process.  It was not as yummy.    It cost more.    I shyly turned open the pages of the King Arthur's Cookbook.  Without a word, I poured in the yeast.  It bubbled and so I mixed in the flour and salt.  Throughout the course of the morning, the dough rose.  And again.  I divided it and it rose again. 
   I created steam in the oven and brushed water on the tops of the loaves to soften them.  I put them in to the heat bath of the oven and slowly, they browned and became  beautiful loaves of bread.
   Later, when my kids and I sliced the bread to make toast for lunch, a feeling of pride swelled in me.  I laughed as I reminded myself that I have  far more interesting accomplishments.   But  then I stopped thinking that maybe it isn't about  what is the most impressive item on our resumes or what others find most intriguing about us, or the topics about ourselves that make fodder for great small talk. 
    Maybe what most moves our souls are the quiet moments at lunch when we break bread with ourselves or with our loved ones.  Maybe these are the moments that last longest in our hearts.  Maybe we really can taste the stars and heavens or at least our inextricable link to it all.
   I know one thing for sure,  I am going to need an apron.