Day Three Expectations from Practical Magic Slow Living with Renee Magnusson
I didn’t post yesterday even though I had intended to. It had been a bit of a runaway day and time and focus went to many physical time- intensive activities like clearing snow, trying to remove a tree limb that had split from the weight of ice and snow and fallen onto the neighbour’s metal-framed shed but our chainsaw (our neighbour used it) got stuck then it wouldn’t work and trying to sync my tablet to my email and download an advent calendar a friend had bought me. Then there was laundry and Survivor and I felt like I had a spent a day with them all on an adjacent island (not in the sun) so I let go of the self-expectation of posting. And I felt better for it. I also felt better for going through my day at the end with a What’s Hot/ What’s Not list only focussing on that day. Because it had some beautiful sparkling moments, too, even though it became far from the day I’d been expecting. A friend drove on snowy streets to hand deliver about 80 home-made cat treats that her hubby made just for my cats. Their cat doesn’t like them but mine do. Another friend from my poetry group sent a lovely email saying how much she appreciates my critiques, not just for her work but for how I approach everyone’s poems. “A work of art in themselves” she called my critiques. And the surprise of three huge crows marching across the snow to the seed under the feeder. And the beauty of an unexpected peach sunset on a cloudy day which shone through ice encrusted branches. I know I tolerate a lot with the state of my house, the clutter, the unfinished (not even started but need to be done) projects and it…no my expectations about it, about how it should all be (an aha moment of catching myself!)…limit me in even inviting people across the threshold. But yesterday when my friend Val dropped by I invited her to step inside and of course the irony of all this was that by then we had a sad looking chainsaw sitting in the hallway! But Val is Val and never even blinked at any of it. When she left the blustery wind caught the screen door and she flew out with it and onto the deck. She was fine, albeit surprised at the strength of the wind, but for me it seemed like an exclamation point to punctuate her kindness. Back to where I was…I’m working through a couple of year long clutter clearing courses where the advice is to simply take everything slowly, recognising that the change comes from within. Slowly, slowly, I’m shifting expectations about the state of my home and recognising how it could be while acknowledging how it is. And being okay with both. weighted by snow cedar boughs bend extra blankets on the bed #334
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWelcome! I'm Sue Blott: a writer of all things, a poet at heart, mom, wife, daughter, step-mom, grandma, tea drinker, tai chi-er, mystic, artist, dreamer...and now a blogger! This is my world. Categories |