What Goes Around

Lately I have had a hard time getting dressed in the morning. I put something on and take it off again because it is stupid. Either it is too tight (which doesn't make sense because I haven't gained weight) or it is too big (because they are second hand). A friend moved away a few months ago and left some clothes with me. I'm not sure if they were intended for me or for Courage Homes (our NGO for girls), but I kept them and have been wearing them. My friend is taller than I am so her clothes are all too long for me. And for some reason, she had a lot of v-neck shirts which go too far down my neck. So I don't feel comfortable in most of her clothes. But I have kept them because I was desperate for new clothes this summer and wouldn't dream of going shopping in the crazy heat. So yesterday when I was trying to find something to wear, I ended up with a pile of clothes to give to Courage Homes. Nice shirts that are now too tight for me. And I have some clothes ...

Here is my first attempt at a short story. Once upon a time, there was a couple who were going to have a baby. They went to the doctor to find out what they would be having. The doctor looked at the ultrasound and told them that he was pretty sure that they were having a baby girl. The man and his wife went home, rejoicing at the fact that they were going to have a daughter. They sat together and talked for hours about their little girl. They made plans for her room, what it would look like. And they came up with a name, Britney. The wife started making a baby quilt for Britney. It was so sweet. The quilt was all the letters of her name in different pink fabrics. And they painted a mural on the wall of a little girl on a tree swing, smiling so big. The room was perfect. The husband and wife talked to Britney all the time. They sang sweet songs to her. Britney became part of their lives before she was even born. Britney knew their voices and kicked or moved when they talked ...

I have been reading the old book, The Practice of Christ's Presence , by W. Y. Fullerton. One chapter has really been interesting to me. That is the one called The Experience. He takes the 23rd Psalm and looks at it as if it is one day with Jesus. So since I liked it so much, I thought maybe someone else might get something out of it too. "The Lord is my shepherd" He cares for us. He knows us. Jesus found us and became our shepherd. In the book of Ezekiel it talks of the Lord God who searches for his sheep and seek them out. He will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered. He will feed them in a good pasture. And He will cause them to lie down. First there is the waking consciousness of the day. Before we wipe the sleep from our eyes, we can prepare ourselves for the day ahead by saying "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Waking up with the assurance of His constant care. The morning feast. He calls his sheep out...

Sometimes I think I am living in Oz. Life is just so strange. People are strange. Everything around me is strange. Not bad, just strange. Like the cows gathered around the garbage dumpster eating their dinner. Or the people who hang on the outside of buses rushing through the city. Or the little two year olds that play on the edge of busy streets and survive. Crazy life! This week was full of excitement. It started with a bomb at the High Court. Horrible that someone desires to kill people in order to make a point. And no one knows what their point was. Then we had a small earthquake. I am usually scared of earthquakes, but this one didn't cause me to have a heart attack. And finally, the week ended with flooding and chaos around the city when we received 96mm of rain (or something like that). Streets were flooded, homes were flooded, and the little bird's nest outside the office window was flooded. Imagine what it would be like to have a big bomb, a big earthqua...

Since I am not really doing the Insanity Workout program, I thought I would just try to do it every other day. But yesterday I started craving an Insanity Workout. So I put on the second workout and gave it a whirl. I did it! I did the whole thing. Certainly not as well as the people in the video, but I made it through. I am surprised at myself for being able to do it. And I am not in pain. I am tired from too much working out, but not in pain. So I am letting myself have the weekend off. Even if I start craving it, I am going to say "no".

I tried the Insanity Workout yesterday, kind of just to see if I could do it. Steve joined me in the fun. We made it through the workout without barfing or passing out. It is pretty intense. But I was extremely proud of us for finishing it. Steve is amazing. He could keep up with it for the most part. He did make a big puddle of sweat on the floor that I mopped up afterwards though. I won't be doing it every day, as that is really insane. But I will try to keep doing it and build my cardiovascular health up so I don't die of a heart attack at age 40 or something.

Some days I just don't have bladder control. It isn't because I am old. I have had this problem for years. Maybe I can blame it on giving birth. I usually only have a problem when I get a knot in my pant's string or can't get the bathroom door locked in time. Once I see a toilet, I have about 5 seconds. One of our bathrooms in our house has a trick seat. The trick is that the lid doesn't stay up all the time. So this is a problem when I am having a bad bladder day. By the time I get the seat up, I need to be pulling my pants down, and starting to sit. It is all fine unless the seat falls down while I am in the process. This happens more than it should. Today is one of those days that my bladder is gladder when it is flatter. So I keep rushing to the bathroom and throwing the seat up, while I turn around to start the sitting. Unbeknownst to me (how do you spell that?) the seat is in the falling down process. Usually I can beat it, but sometimes I can...