Sometimes after a weekend, I feel like I need to come back to work to rest. Weekends can get a little frantic, with too many errands to run, too many schedules to juggle, too much laundry, and too much grocery shopping, and cleaning and whatever-needs-to-be-done.
But not this weekend. This weekend was gloriously relaxed and easy, with nearly perfect weather to make it feel even more pleasant. There was still laundry to do and soccer schedules to juggle, but there was also lots of time for lovely things like naps and bike rides and reading books in the sunshine.
Here’s a bit of randomness about the weekend.
- Running! I finally took up running! Ever since my breast reduction surgery, I’ve had this urge to try running, so I bought a new pair of runners last week and finally convinced myself to hit the pavement. Inspired by Jamie, I’m starting at a pretty slow pace with this program. I went both Saturday and Sunday morning and it was quite lovely. It won’t replace biking during the week, but I think I’ll stick with it on the weekends.
- On Saturday morning, I was out of the house pretty early, and had lots of time on my hands, so I took a longer route and spent lots of time walking after the running was done. I wandered past a marsh where the blackbirds were just beginning to greet the day and – oh my! What a glorious moment! It felt like worship. I had to just sit on a bench for a few minutes, assume a meditation pose, and close my eyes while the sounds filled me up.
- Both mornings, after the running was done and I was doing the cool-down walking, I had a strong urge to raise my arms toward the sky. Perhaps it’s reminiscent of my nephew who, when he was a toddler, would raise his hands almost automatically whenever someone said “hallelujah!” Or perhaps it’s my awakened body just longing for a full body stretch. Either way, if you happen to drive by my neighbourhood and see me walking with my arms in the air, you know my run is complete.
- On Saturday night, Marcel and I drove out to the country where our friends are camped in the middle of the bush while they build a new home. We enjoyed the most delightful campfire with them, complete with a couple of glasses of wine, some relaxed conversation, and some s’mores. Oh – it was pure goodness!
- Don’t hate me for this and don’t assume it has anything to do with the way we’re parenting or modeling for our children (far from it), but my oldest daughter has turned into a cleaning machine. She takes a certain amount of delight in it (yeah, I know – strange!), and more than once this weekend, I came home from an errand to find her with a broom or mop or some other cleaning implement in her hand. I’m not sure how I got so lucky! (Though my other daughters aren’t feeling quite as lucky, because she’s also turning into a bit of a nag when they leave things lying around.)
- It was giveaway weekend in Winnipeg this weekend. Anything you wanted to get rid of could just be put on the curb and people could pick it up for free. I think it’s a lovely new tradition in our city. We finally got rid of some of the toddler toys that our kids have outgrown, and we picked up some skates and a desk for Maddie.
- I learned how to make mango lassi smoothies this weekend and oh my! I think I have a new drink to become addicted to!
- You know that line from The Colour Purple about how it pisses God off if we walk past the colour purple without noticing? Well, I think it pisses God off if we walk past a lilac bush without stopping to bury our faces in the blossoms and deeply inhaling, so I’ve made that a regular practice in the Springtime. You can find me all over the neighbourhood with my face buried in a lilac bush, or with my hands raised to the sky, or my eyes closed listening to blackbirds. Yeah, the neighbours might think I’m crazy, but I can live with that if it means I’m living a more mindful life.