Freewrite Forty

I'm breaking all sorts of "Morning Pages" rules. 

1. It isn't the morning. It is 1:32 pm
2. I am not writing but typing
3. I am writing on a public blog
4. I am not doing three notebook size pages, but I am doing it by time (in the past 3 pages took about forty minutes)

But I am making the rules today. I might even freewrite every day this July. It is hard to believe that a year ago, I was leaving for the Great Lakes in four days. I was finishing up the 2HC and then hustling to get ready for that adventure.

So, there is no adventure around the corner for me (oh, and I was desperately trying to get a back doctor's appointment to straighten out my back before I went on the trip - it weirdly went out during the last retreat with the 2HC, and I had had NO problems for 10 months - sadly, it didn't straighten out, and I had to be careful the whole trip, but I still managed to hike and kayak.)

I decided that TODAY, I would REST. I had a big day e-Mountain biking Saturday. Monday was all day kayaking, and yesterday, I made the dumb decision to bike all the way to Crystal Lake in the HOT sun without water. Then, I got off my bike and met with G, but I had forgotten my keys to lock my bike, so I walked with her for another 4 miles with the bike until we got the bright idea to leave my bike at her house, get some water, and walk back to her car. She rode me back to my bike, and then, it was REALLY hot! I had to stop four or five times under the shade of a tree. Thankfully, G loaned me a water bottle and water, but I finished my water by the third time, and I had the last 1 or 1 1/2 miles to get home. I rest under shade and trudged home. Note to self: if it is going to be the middle of the day and above 85 degrees, don't ride your bike, and especially do not ride your bike and forget a big water bottle AND a back up bottle! My goodness.

So, needless to say, I am resting today. Yes, I did walk twice and enough for 7,000+ steps, but that was in the earlier morning. Since then, I have been in my Deck Sanctuary reading four different books (oh, maybe five - lol!) 

Sometimes, I get bored with the book I am reading, and I like switching to another one. This is my stack.

And then two audiobook. One is about Boris Pasternak and the real life Lara from the book Doctor Zhivago, that I read last week. The other is SO DEAR: Spiritual Formation by Henri Nouwen. I am eating it up. I just love what he says. I am glad I have his Spiritual Direction book in the spiritual direction training I will be doing. 

Oh, speaking of spiritual direction training. I don't even know if anyone reads this blog anymore (I don't write these book reviews and freewrites for any particular audience), but I might put all the things I am offering in the fall, and then I will see who bites. :) Next post, I promise.

Another little delightful thing is that this woman from my church that I have heard so many great things about reached out to me, and she has heard great things about me. So, she wants to "get my perspective on some things and share some of her own."  It should be fun and INDIAN food to boot. Win-Win.

I am looking forward to my "real" break from July 11-31. I am going to try to stick to it as best I can. Part of that will be Heba and her family here at the beginning, and Debbie here at the end. In between will be a family getaway to the coast, our 35th wedding anniversary (still on the honeymoon!), and my 66th birthday (Addendum after publishing: I forgot that in between will also be M & B visiting from the Middle East and N visiting from Central Asia). I am looking forward to the break in many ways. I will be done with this reading from 1000 Books to Read Before You Die list, and then I am going to just read as the Spirit leads me. I might read books from the list, but I am at 500+ books, and I will just read if I want to. 

Oh, and another great thing that happened yesterday. The Indian Fever BEAT the Minnesota Lynx for the Commissioner's Cup Championship. No one saw that one coming. And they did it without Caitlyn Clark. Amazing. 

I am getting a bit hot out on the deck now, and someone just started using a power tool. It has been an amazingly quiet day so far, and that is very unusual for my neighborhood! 

I think I will end a bit early and go inside and read some more in there. 

Ta Ta for now.