Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Got some catchin' up to do!

You'd think that since I'm between jobs right now that I'd post more frequently, huh? I thought I would be, too - ha! Here's a quick recap of the last couple of weeks:

Intentions:

I set some health intentions for myself when I was laid off: walk every day, lose weight, get more fit, continue the 3x-4x weekly yoga practice, prepare more of my own food. (My ultimate goal is to lose sufficient weight to get off the blood pressure meds ... which make me gain weight, by the way. Nice.)

I love my morning walks, listening to the birdsong, saying hello to neighbors, seeing the neighborhood gardens. Initially, it was kinda tough with the fibromyalgia and my twisted spine/spondylolisthesis, but I strap on my brace each morning and I've been able to expand my route a bit (1.25 miles, which is awesome for me) and I'm not in too much pain by the time I get home, so yippee for that! On the downside, after seven weeks of walking I lost exactly zero pounds. Zip, zilch, nada. When they say it's harder to lost weight when you're older, they ain't kidding. Know this and pay heed.

When I get home, I usually head to my courtyard garden, cutting sweetpeas and roses, deadheading geraniums, enjoying all the blooms. Yesterday morning, after watering, I spotted a hummingbird wiggling around on the leaves of the camellia like he was washing himself. So cute!



I also set some project goals, which aren't going so well yet. I have to-have to-have to finish up the bathroom and the office. Bathroom: remove uber-stubborn silicone adhesive remaining from border removal, touch up paint, rehang fixtures. Office: Paint, arrange furniture, get twin bed, hang shelves, bulletin board, touch up chalkboard walls.

Speaking of the office, the jasmine in the courtyard below is blooming like crazy and just fills the entire house - top and bottom - with fragrance. Intoxicating! Here's a shot from the office window showing the jasmine and how it climbs over the pergola directly below the office window; all that scent just wafts dreamily into the office:


Work: I've also been very busy the last couple of weeks helping friends with some Web and writing work. It's been great fun working with them! Time to get back to my own projects now.

Job Intentions: There's been some interest in my resume and I've had an interview for a wonderful opportunity. Mutual interest on both sides. We'll see what happens there. I've also submitted my resume for a couple of other companies with really solid work in interactive marketing. I have a preliminary interview scheduled this coming Monday with one. I hope it goes well! I really like their broad client list and the fact that they do one pro bono project a year for a non-profit organization. That shows the kind of heart that I can relate to.


Funeral: A close friend's mom passed away last week. It seems like I've written a lot of posts about deaths, doesn't it? This is the third one in three months. I hope it's the last one for 2009. The service was beautiful. She'd served as a military nurse in WWII and was given full military honors. As the honor guard was carefully and meticulously folding the American flag, I was impressed how there was no rushing, no sense of urgency; they were completely focused on the task at hand and nothing else mattered. I think the world needs more of that instead of the constant maddening distraction of cell phones and computers alerting us to the next thing. We rarely have time to just sit and daydream. Daydreaming is where we create and re-create, where we re-charge our batteries and refresh our spirits. Watching those young men honoring this woman with their full undivided attention as they carefully folded and creased, folded and creased made me breathe a little more slowly, slowed my own pace in my spirit. Slow me down, Lord.



Memorial Day: On Monday, Memorial Day, I went to the cemetery. I learned earlier in the week that we have 13 Civil War Veterans buried there. As I drove in, I saw all the American flags waving across the hills of the cemetery, a stirring sight. So many who have served our country with honor and dignity. After I polished my mom's headstone and cleared away some overgrown grass, I knelt to pray, thinking of my mom but also of the many lives that were being honored by the presence of those flags fluttering in the ocean breeze. I was glad that these people had graves and hadn't been cremated because I would miss seeing the flags on Memorial Day, a reminder of people and places and events bigger than me.


Namaste


6 comments:

Kelee Katillac said...

Hi Rose!

So glad you are back with this post. You are such
an inspiration...walking all that way and with challenges! You remind me to do my walking! Mentally it sure does help --and with stress. Love the little hummingbird observation. We have some here too...Your courtyard garden looks wonderful! And I appreciate your sentiments about Memorial Day...and the flags. Never really thought about it that way...

love, kelee

paintergal said...

I was wondering about the interview and if anything had come from it. Glad to hear it's still a consideration.
The walking is good for you, whether you've lost weight or not. But I do know that can be discouraging.
Blessings to you, Rose!

Anonymous said...

Rose,
Your posts are always so positive and soothing. Love your "glass is half full" outlook. A beautiful garden. God Bless.
Kate Michelle

for the love of a house said...

Hi Rose! Found you while "blog-hopping!" You have a lovely, uplifting blog! You can tell you have a wonderful energy and peace to you. I enjoyed reading this thoughtful post.
joan

rebecca said...

Rose, take the time that you have now while between jobs to live your life just as you want it, enjoy those moments that were not possible before. When I was home for a year many years ago due to an illness, its gift to me was the forced connection between mind and body. I became one and was finally at peace. Though I was recovering both physically and emotionally, it was still one of the best years of my life because by the end of that year, I was in a different place altogether. It put me on the right path, something that my very, hectic and fast-paced life was not able to give me before.

Blessings,
Rebecca

dec0r8or said...

I believe in the power of positive thinking! One of these days you're going to land a really great job, Rose--one suited just for you. I KNOW it! :)