Friday Freewrite Fifteen

 So, life is slow. I LOVE it. I have never been one that NEEDS to be busy. I always love the quiet. It has not been bad not working. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning between 9:15 and 12:15 for the last three of those times I have looked at my watched and thought, "I would be on my way or teaching my class," but I look at what I am doing in that present moment, and it is all so good. :) I am happy at my time spent on long walks or in spiritual direction. 

I have continued with the things that I took advantage of this summer like the Imagine Contemplation with the Jesuits in Britain on Wednesdays at lunch (it is 8 pm there time and it became every other week in September), the Centering Prayer time with the Benedictines in Burlingame (Sundays and Thursdays), and my supervision with the Mt. Angel Queen of Angels Monastery the second Friday of each month. (Uh oh, a bird just hit our window, I better pause the timer and check! He was stunned but upright. I went out to the yard, and he stood there for the longest time, not moving when I approached close to him, but then he woke up and flew away. Stunned but not killed.) I have also enjoyed being able to read How to Pray (see my previous post) more intensely and practice all the "toolbox" things. It is a very simple book, but I just finished The First Exercises four retreats am just practicing the things in the toolbox. There is not really anything new, but I like this pace.  I have also been taking longer walks and talks with God, enjoying nature. I am also scheduling spiritual direction appointments with women during the times I would be teaching. I am openhanded about whether I would leave my Pilates OSU job. I love it, but I also know that we don't know when COVID 19 will allow for increased "on-site" enrollment. In the meantime, I am loving being "retired" so may just make it permanent.

I have four people going through the Full Exercises this year. I have one person who finished it from last year, and two who started it in the summer but are on a little "hold" for a while. 

One thing I have prayed for is community. We thought we would enjoy creating a community with two other families, but when it came down to the day we were supposed to start meeting, I just did not have any peace about it. Now that we met with a couple from a previous cohort group, it might be better to meet with them if we are going to meet with anyone. We are still praying about this, and God has assured me that he will drop something in our lap beyond even our wildest imagination. 

I am meeting with D today. That will be fun.

Health-wise, we are doing really, really well. George is swimming right now, and I am biking to my time with D. By the way, I have 15 consistent directees right now and another five that are "in and out" who call me when they want to talk. (FIFTEEN MINUTES DONE)