Thursday, December 7, 2017

Ch-Ch-Changes (Large and Small)

Today, a not so good thing may have happened. I mentioned that I am stepping back from my Thursday night cooking. It seems when I was away from my phone, there was, let's say. some confusion. I had said that I needed to skip this evening, and do my last turn next week, and they guy in the office may not have been aware that he needed to order pizza. I'm sure it'll work itself out, but still.......

Meanwhile, after going through a period of guilt about stepping back from this one, I've come to realize that this was absolutely the right decision, and (barring this evening's possible disaster) the group will be fine. Without sharing my entire thought process (long and often boring though it was), I've made more than one adjustment lifestyle wise for the New Year.

For some time I've been trying to reconcile my need for volunteering and some activism and a social life with my desire to be closer to home.  This goes part and parcel with my desire to drive less, at least on a day to day basis. Some of this conflict and my slow awakening is that this is admittedly the first time I have lived in an actual suburb as opposed to an urban village outside a big city. Let's just say it's taken the urban girl from Arlington, Virginia a while to realize it actually okay to live and thrive in the suburbs!

While some may laugh at the above, it has been easier to reconcile those multiple needs than I thought, albeit with some new changes and experiences involved. I've also been trying to challenge myself mentally and physically even more, realizing that I've been missing my Olli classes and other outside stuff, but again, wanting to stay close to home. And of course, after foregoing travel by choice for almost two years (with the exception of local overnight trips and family), I'm ready to jump back on that ole bandwagon, at least much more than I have been.  Last but not least, I have been wanting more time-for baking, drawing, writing, spending time with the dogs and daydreaming. While keeping all the other fun stuff in my life, of course! And what has all this navel studying wrought, exactly?

To begin with, I am now going to two churches. The church I joined when I first arrived in Denver and which has a part of my heart (they advocate for refugees, sponsor a little house village and are building supportive housing on their parking lot, for starts) and always will is thirty five minutes on a lazy Sunday with no football game. While I'm still invested in man activities there and think the rector's  sermons are like poetry, I also have a neighborhood church-which is also active and involved and attempting to go in new directions. There will be people from my neighborhood, daytime and evening activities half a mile a way and more. So yea, I now belong to (and will tithe to, I suppose) two lovely churches.

After struggling with how to nest and be more of a "homebody" while still challenging myself mentally and physically,  I've decided to return to my online classes at the Great Courses. I've also joined the Craftsy Unlimited option which gives me piles and piles of art and drawing and sewing and painting and weaving classes in my own home. And in terms of embracing the local, I've signed up for a writing group, a woman and wine book group and am finally gonna get to either the "drinking liberally" or "resist" group here in my suburb. All of which just meet monthly, giving me out of the house time while keeping my schedule loose and in place.

And as for those volunteering/advocacy things? They won't be left behind but I'll be doing them closer to home, spending less time on the getting and going, and doing online advocacy in the extreme. I've also been reminded lately to "Look at the gift God gave you to serve others", and realized that in my case I can also volunteer with my hands-by making blankets for seniors, kitting, baking and more. In other words, I'm using what I've got, skill wise. Which is a fair amount, if I do say so!

There are still things to work out. How to have an exercise plan for the cold weather that doesn't require running to the gym daily (Utube is your friend, they tell me) would be one of those. Adjusting from being the homebody to a thirty to forty five day train trip is another. I am, as they say a work in progress.

But except for my daily walks and a being treated to a dinner at the Outback last night, I haven't left the house as such since Sunday afternoon. It's not something I want to do every week, but this week it's been lovely. And next week? Other than the Christmas party for my knitting group, I'm mainly free as a bird when it comes to places I have to be and things I have to do. Except of course, for that surgery trip on Thursday morning.

And the kids Gingerbread house party next Saturday (for 20 kids) that I offered up at our silent auction this summer. 

But hey, I'm getting there. As are the cookies.

8 comments:

  1. You really have a full life it seems. I can relate to moving to the burbs after living in the city. I am living in the burbs of DC and I wish to be on acreage away from it all but have the city close by. I am not certain I can do a complete cut from what I deem civilization. And I must say moving from Arlington where they panic over an inch of snow to Denver was pretty damn adventurous. :-)

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  2. I am so needing to slow down, or at least have more of my busy life in my own home, lol. And yes, you are right-except that after 23 years in Arlington, I first moved to Germany first (where there isnt THAT much snow actaly, but more than the DC area) of course then I moved to Dallas, So there have been some climate adventures. I'm just happy that in Denver the show melts in a day and then its's back to normal, unlike Connecticut or New York!

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  3. Years ago, when I was divorcing my husband and raising up my 3 sons alone, I attended 2 churches, too. It was wonderful and filled me up with all that I needed.

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  4. I am really enjoying it. both are fairly progressive, but the difference between the churches is also invigorating. I of course, in spite of the way I write here am NOT good at introducing myself in such places, I'm finally gonna stand up in church and do that this weekend-the local church I mean.

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  5. Sometimes not leaving the house is a God send.

    I don't know how you manage to do all you do and still stay sane.

    God bless.

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  6. I agree it is great to find a balance of activities and quiet times at home. Time to read is a treasure, plus walking my dog twice a day. I like how you found two churches to join.

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  7. We moved from the suburbs into a small city, and now we love walking into town, and the convenience of having everything so close. So far we've spent too much time on the house, but now we're starting to get out to take classes and volunteer. There's a time for everything.

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  8. Tom, I still live in one of the suburbs where things are fairly close. While I cannot actually walk, because of the route, in less than a mile we have lots of things to do and an old town center. I just need to concentrate on that more.

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